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A MIND FOR

THE LAW

At first glance, a psych degree might seem an
unorthodox path to a legal career. But for Jennifer
Bolivar, it was just right.

Every day, Bolivar, a 2015 graduate of Penn State Lehigh Valley’s
Psychology program, calls upon the skills she gained at the
campus as an Associate Attorney at Crosson Richetti & Daigle,
LLC, a full-service family law firm based in Allentown.
“My degree allows me to bring the experience of a case
manager, counselor, and state investigator into my career,” said
Bolivar, 27, of Whitehall. “When clients tell me their story, I’m
able to look for and analyze patterns, reasons why my client,
the opposition, or third-party acted or reacted the way they
did, and consider alternative resolutions. If there is a potential
psychological or psychiatric solution, I feel comfortable talking
about it. Also, it allows me to understand programs that are
provided or can be provided to children, adolescents, adults,
and older adults.”

Bolivar’s dreams of becoming a lawyer go all the way back to
middle school, when she would often find herself sticking up
for fellow students who were wronged. “The notion that I could Completing her degree a year early, Bolivar initially decided to
give someone a voice and tell their story was appealing to me. postpone law school in order to work in human services. After
You get to help people in some of their most vulnerable times,” serving as a case manager/counselor and then an investigator,
she said. Bolivar enrolled at Widener University Commonwealth Law

After taking a psychology class in high school, Bolivar knew she School in Harrisburg. There, she completed internships with
wanted to major in it in college. It seemed like a logical entryway U.S. Magistrate Judge Martin C. Carlson of the Middle District of A Special Advertising Section of The Morning Call
to the law, which “regulates human behavior — human behavior Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General.
that psychology helps you understand,” she said. As she works toward her first trial, Bolivar is confident she’ll be
ready, and that her degree will be a benefit.
At PSU-LV, Bolivar found a psychology program and faculty that
prepared her well for the real world. Her studies included an “It’ll allow me to read the unspoken words of witnesses, the
internship with the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office. opposing side, and the jury or judge,” she said.

Psychology is just one of ten degrees you can complete entirely |
at the newly expanded Penn State Lehigh Valley campus ranging
from healthcare and business to cybersecurity and supply chain
management! Or choose from 275 other programs that can be Sunday, June 26, 2022
started locally and completed at one of 19 other Penn State
campuses across the Commonwealth! Lehighvalley.psu.edu
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