FHSU University Communications
Members of FHSU’s Delta Tau Omega Chapter of the Criminal Justice Club attended the 2025 national conference of the American Criminal Justice Association (ACJA) March 30-April 4 in Long Beach, Calif. The conference, themed around human trafficking, offered students and faculty a variety of workshops, educational sessions, and professional development opportunities.
Midwestern states comprised a significant portion of attendees at the conference, with Universities from Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska sending students and faculty to participate.
“The National Conference of ACJA provides students with opportunities to network with current and future professionals in criminal justice systems across the U.S. and to learn how agencies in different parts of the country handle a wide array of problems,” said Dr. Morgan Steele, Region 3 President of ACJA and FHSU assistant professor of criminal justice. “The Universities from the Midwest are traditionally among the highest-performing groups within the National conference each year, which is reflected in the number of individual and team awards and scholarships won at the conference.”
Throughout the week, attendees participated in sessions focused on key topics such as prosecutorial perspectives on investigations, effective report writing, managing critical incidents, and the investigation of sex crimes.
FHSU students and faculty competed in a variety of events, including academic testing, crime scene investigation, firearms, physical agility, and academic research poster presentations. Winners of scholarship awards and national paper competitions were also announced during the conference.
Beyond the conference programming, club members and faculty volunteered at The Midnight Mission, a historic organization founded in 1914 that provides shelter, hot meals, educational services, and resources to individuals experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles’ Skid Row community.
"Volunteering at The Midnight Mission was a humbling experience for our students," said Dr. Tamara Lynn, chair and professor of criminal justice and faculty advisor. "It reinforced the importance of service in the field of criminal justice and made a lasting impact on all of us."
The conference concluded with an awards ceremony recognizing top finishers across four competition divisions: lower division (freshman and sophomore), upper division (junior and senior), graduate division, and professional division.
Delta Tau Omega Chapter members achieved outstanding results:
Student Paper Competition:
Benjamin Wilkerson, Lawrence – 3rd Place, Lower Division.
Matthias Pearce, Wallace – 3rd Place, Upper Division.
Scholarship Competition:
Benjamin Wilkerson – 1st Place, Lower Division.
Mackenzie Zimmerman, Hays – 3rd Place, Upper Division.
Academic Poster Competition:
Vanessa Diaz, Hays – 2nd Place, Lower Division.
Caleb Purvis, Westmoreland – 3rd Place, Upper Division.
Mariah Carrillo, Hays – 2nd Place, Upper Division.
Academic Testing – Human Trafficking Exam:
Mackenzie Zimmerman – 1st Place, Upper Division.
Dr. Morgan Steele – 2nd Place, Professional Division.
Corrections Exam:
Dr. Ziwei Qi – 2nd Place, Professional Division.
Criminal Law Exam:
Dr. Morgan Steele – 3rd Place, Professional Division.
Dr. Ziwei Qi – 1st Place, Professional Division.
Juvenile Justice Exam:
Dr. Tamara Lynn – 3rd Place, Professional Division.
Dr. Ziwei Qi – 2nd Place, Professional Division.
Police Management Exam:
Dr. Ziwei Qi – 2nd Place, Professional Division.
Crime Scene Investigation Team:
Vanessa Diaz, Matthias Pearce, and Mackenzie Zimmerman – 1st Place, Upper Division.
Physical Agility:
Dr. Ziwei Qi – 1st Place, Female 36+ Category.
Group Talent and Lip Sync Competition:
Matthias Pearce and Harleigh Smith, Concordia – 3rd Place (Baby Shark Mix Performance)
Other students who attended the conference included Morgan Drake, Parker, Colo., Kylie Huelsmann, Oakley, and Xitlaly Marino, Hays.
Reflecting on the students’ accomplishments, Dr. Lynn noted, "Our students demonstrated exceptional dedication, professionalism, and teamwork throughout the conference. I could not be prouder of how they represented our program and university on the national stage."
Club members are already planning for next year’s ACJA National Conference, which will be held in Bloomington, Minn.