Senior reflects on CF impact in shaping his journey into forensic science

Senior Jacob Schmidt has been going to Cedar Falls schools since kindergarten and plans on going all the way to Illinois to begin his college career. 

“I plan to attend Loyola University in Chicago, Ill. The reason I chose this college is because it is one of the best colleges in the country for forensic science, which I am trying to major in. Getting into this Loyola wasn’t just a walk in the park. There were a lot of steps and plans I had to make beforehand in order to get me on the right path toward being admitted. It required me to study a lot more in my free time and school time just to keep my GPA and grades up. I also had to take a lot of science AP classes so that when Loyola viewed my curriculum they would see that I met those requirements. For me at least, taking these science classes didn’t stress or bore me out due to the fact that it’s my favorite subject, which I held my strengths in.” 

Schmidt said the reason he really got into forensic science was by watching a lot of TV shows that involved forensic science. He loved watching how in depth forensic scientists got within their job, which really piqued his interest in wanting to explore that career path.

For a lot of seniors going into college, a lot of challenges will have to be faced and overcome as they are finally blossoming into adults. Schmidt said, “Probably having to adapt to the new environment and lifestyle that downtown Chicago has to offer. Being raised and growing up in a decently small town like Cedar Falls is definitely a big difference in that aspect compared to Chicago. Another challenge I will also face will be getting to know new people. I don’t personally know anyone in Chicago, which is going to be challenging yet fun at the same time. With that, I also won’t have that close support from my parents, which will be hard but good at the same time because that’s the way of growing up.” 

Schmidt has relied on friends and sporting activities, which consisted of soccer, basketball, and even flag football when he was younger. When at home, Schmidt loved playing games like NBA 2K and loved spending time watching sporting events with his parents. “Although I am so excited and happy to graduate from my hometown in Cedar Falls. There’s also that part of me that’s like, wow, life is going to be very different soon. A lot of people and friends I know aren’t going to be seen or heard from for a while or maybe even forever. After high school graduation, we all have such different paths in life. We will all start becoming different characters in a way. This isn’t like elementary school going into middle school and middle school going into high school. This is high school going into life. I will most definitely miss CF and all the people within it that made me want to participate in school and sports. In the next 10 years, I hope to be a forensic scientist living a stable life, and I really wish for my friend group to still hold that tight bond we all have. If not, I hope at the bare minimum that the impact we had on each other’s lives will be a locked memory within us.”