Jared Baum has always been “a science guy.” So, when he learned that Saint Leo University offered not only small, more personalized classes, but also undergraduate degrees in biology and master’s degrees in criminal justice, he went all in to pursue his passion.

Today, he is putting his two degrees to work, serving as a forensic biology technical manager with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in Tampa, FL. In his role, Baum oversees the team’s operations, quality assurance, accreditation, and some casework.

At Saint Leo, he earned his bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in chemistry in 2008 and completed his master’s degree in criminal justice with a focus on forensic science in 2011.

As part of his master’s program, Baum had to complete field work in forensics. “I originally wanted to do crime scene investigations, until I did and found out that was not for me,” Baum said. “So, I interviewed with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, FDLE, and ended up working with them to solve crimes for 11 years.”

Baum said he prefers forensics because he can actually work in the field instead of just doing research. “On a day-to-day basis, with case work, the work is extremely important for victims, law enforcement, and criminal justice, overall.”

Dr. Iain Duffy, associate professor of biology and past president of the Florida Academy of Sciences, made a big impact on Baum. “He taught me that the big lesson is that you may have something that is required of you, but meeting that requirement isn’t necessarily all you can do,” Baum recalled.

“I had a writing assignment that I got a C or C plus on. When I went and talked to Dr. Duffy, he said I had included only the minimum requirements. ‘You can always do more,’ he told me. I applied that from then on out.”

That was part of the sound and useful training Baum received while attending classes at Saint Leo University. “It is practical training I can use every day in my career,” he said.

Baum recommends Saint Leo to prospective undergraduate and graduate students because it is mainly a teaching university, rather than a research-heavy university. While faculty and students do have research opportunities, the focus for faculty is on working with their students.

“Teaching is first at Saint Leo, and on top of that, you have smaller class sizes, making it easier to get appointments with your professors, so you get more one on one.”