West Haven, Conn., April 24, 2007 - On Wednesday, May 2, the University of New Haven (UNH) will memorialize Jessica Santos, who was fatally shot in a random drive-by shooting in Yonkers, New York on August 27, 2006, the evening before returning for her sophomore year at UNH. The Tarrytown resident had been studying for a degree in criminal investigation at the University and dreamed of becoming an FBI investigator.
At 12:30 p.m., during the first of two events, a tree will be planted near the Marvin K. Peterson Library on the UNH campus in honor of all victims of crime. The featured speakers are Dr. Mario Gaboury, chair of the UNH Criminal Justice Department, and Marty O'Connor, associate professor of fire science.
Following the planting, the dedication of the Jessica N. Santos Memorial Classroom will be held at 1:25 p.m., in room 109 in Kaplan Hall, a criminal justice classroom. The featured speakers are Gisela Marin, Santos' mother, and Nikita Carmona, president of the UNH Victimology Club, which is sponsoring the event. The Victimology Club promotes victims' rights through volunteer work, fundraising, community-service events and fieldwork. The goal of the club is to educate the public, eliminate discrimination and promote awareness of victims' rights.
A leader in experiential learning, the University of New Haven provides its students with a unique combination of solid liberal arts and real-world, hands-on professional training. A private University founded in 1920, UNH has a full-time undergraduate enrollment of more than 2,400 students-with 70 percent residing on its 80-acre main campus-and a graduate school enrollment that exceeds 1,700. The University offers more than 80 undergraduate degrees and more than 25 graduate degrees through its four colleges, in fields such as sports management, nutrition and dietetics, forensic science, music and sound recording, engineering, computer science, fire science and criminal justice. University of New Haven students study abroad through a variety of distinctive programs.
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