As a child, Ansa Joseph dreamed of working in law enforcement.
But after she graduated from Cudahy High School in 2019, Joseph’s dream felt out of reach. She and her family had immigrated to the United States from Kerala, India, a few years earlier, and Joseph was unsure how to pursue such a career, especially in a new country.
“Everybody in my family is an engineer or in health care,” Joseph said. “I am the first one interested in law enforcement. They wanted to help me, but they didn’t know how.”
She decided to start at Milwaukee Area Technical College, but it was not the best experience due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Joseph had to take classes remotely and felt isolated and uncertain.
After the world opened up again, she transferred to UW-Milwaukee, which was close enough that she could commute from home. She originally applied to the kinesiology program, but as the start of the semester approached, Joseph felt drawn to her original dream and switched her major to criminal justice and criminology.
That first semester at UWM, Joseph struggled academically. “It was my first time attending classes in person after MATC, and there were a lot of changes all at once,” she said. “The environment was different, the people were new, and I did not really know anyone yet.”
Joseph realized that to succeed she would need to push past her shyness and ask for help. One day she attended a meeting of the Criminal Justice Student Association, where she saw Associate Professor Kimberly Hassell, the association advisor, who taught three courses that Joseph had taken. She summoned the courage to ask Hassell some questions about becoming an immigration officer.
“That evening she emailed me a bunch of resources, and I realized she would go out of her way to help students,” Joseph said. “Going to that meeting made a huge difference for me.”
Hassell became an important mentor. Over time, Joseph met many more faculty and staff members at UWM who wanted to help her succeed, especially when they saw her determination.
She visited the Writing Center to learn how to strengthen her written assignments, and then met with Lauren Lessac, associate director of career communities & services at UWM’s Center for Student Experience and Talent (SET), who guided her in creating a resume.
Joseph applied for criminal justice field placements to get hands-on experience and learn about the range of opportunities available in the field. She spent five months with the Wisconsin State Public Defender’s Office and then four months with the Cudahy Police Department.
Next, she set her sights on the competitive FBI Honors Internship Program. She was not successful the first time she applied but worked hard to be ready the following year. She met with Linda Walker, a former staff member of SET, who spent hours helping her practice for the panel interview.
“Going into the interview, I was nervous,” Joseph said, “but I knew I was prepared.” She was selected for the internship and worked for a year with the Department of Justice in Milwaukee. It led to an entry-level position after Joseph graduated from UWM in May 2026 with a bachelor’s and accelerated master’s degree in criminal justice and criminology.
Joseph is proud that she landed this job, which is beyond what she imagined as a child. She is hopeful about what lies ahead.
“When you dream big,” she said, “sometimes you achieve something even bigger than your dream.”
