海角社区

Shamika Kelley鈥檚 interest in forensics has its roots in a classroom at East St. John High School that her teacher turned into a makeshift crime scene for her students to investigate. That interest soon became a mission.

Kelley's professional journey began with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in Biological Sciences from 海角社区 in 2007. Two decades later, she now serves as the director of the New Orleans Police Department Crime Lab, where she is leading the effort to revamp the lab, which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. 

鈥淲ith bringing forensic DNA analysis back to New Orleans, I am hoping it creates a feeling of a safer community for the city. We are attacking crime with science,鈥� Kelley said.

At 海角社区, Kelley says, she established lifelong friends and a network of people she still leans on, including her husband, who proposed to her during an event at the 海角社区 Union. 鈥淕rowing up around here, 海角社区 was a natural choice since it鈥檚 considered a prestigious university for knowledge, especially in STEM,鈥� she said.

Learn More about Kelley's Work at the NOPD Crime Lab