AU Alumnus Steve Walczak ('19) working as a forensic scientist in Tennessee

Steve Walczak graduated from AU in 2019 with a Biology major and concentration in Forensic Biology interested in pursuing a career as a DNA analyst. After working eight months in a clinical lab in Pennsylvania, Steve took a position as a Special Agent Forensic Scientist with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, where he has worked for the past three and a half years in serology and DNA analysis, as well as a crime science investigator with the Violent Crime Response team. Steve has also been key in helping more recent AU forensic biology graduates with their job searches, helping recruit at least one other AU graduate to Tennessee. You can find Steve on LinkedIn. We asked Steve a few questions about his career path and and experience since graduating from AU:

What has your career path been since graduating from AU?

I graduated from AU in May of 2019 and spent the summer and fall applying for any forensic science job that I could. It did not matter the state in which I was applying. I had a few interviews along the way, but nothing truly panned out. So, a few days before the COVID shutdown, I was hired as a Specimen Prep Technician at a clinical lab, Associated Clinical Laboratories, a sister company of Quest Diagnostics. I spent from March 2020 to September 2020 working there. In July of 2020, I interviewed for a position within the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and was hired and started in October of 2020. I have been a Special Agent Forensic Scientist in the Forensic Biology Unit ever since.

How did your AU education prepare you for your career?

AU helped prepare me in several ways. With the class sizes being so small, it was easy to get that 1 on 1 with the professor. This helped me whenever I had any questions or wanted to sit down and talk. It made it easier to get a recommendation letter from them. I gained the ability to talk to and hold conversations with people in management positions. My major gave me the ability to apply for many forensic science jobs. Those types of jobs require specific classes and/or a certain amount of chemistry hours. I was able to get all of those in just my 4 years at AU. To get a job in a Forensic Biology Unit, 4 specific classes are needed and the track I was on, they were built into the program. The coursework gave me the opportunity to learn the basics behind the technical side, the science, behind what I do. Even down to some of the techniques that we learn in the lab, pipetting for example. At some larger universities, the students might not learn how to do so. So, knowing that ahead of time makes learning that aspect of my job easier.

What advice do you have for our upcoming graduates as they prepare for a career after college?

I would say, do not be afraid to apply to as many jobs as you can. Getting in the forensics field is competitive and stressful. Don’t be afraid to interview whenever you get the opportunity, the more you interview, the better chance you have to land that job. The more I did, the less nervous I became, and the quality of the interview increased. Also, don’t be afraid to reach out to a lab or to someone who knows someone who works in the lab. For me personally, I am happy to talk to you and explain how things work, what life is like, etc.... One thing I wish I had when I was going through that time in my life was that ability to reach out to someone and ask questions.