LATROBE, PA – As a juvenile probation officer in the Allegheny County Juvenile Probation Department, Saint Vincent College alumna Taylor Collins, C’22, in October 2025 earned the Department’s Rookie of the Year award following an exemplary year of service.
A Pittsburgh native, Collins graduated from Fox Chapel Area High School in June 2018 before her mother and stepfather moved to Cleveland, Ohio, the following year.
Weighing her postsecondary education options, Collins applied to 12 colleges, was accepted to 11, and toured three, including Saint Vincent College. She participated in an initial tour of the College alongside her father and, not long after they started walking on campus, he told his daughter, “If you don’t go here, I will.”
“It felt like my second home,” Collins recalled, and a few months later during a tour with her mother and stepfather, the feeling had not waned. “I also loved that it was a Catholic school,” she added, emphasizing the profound importance of her faith. “As soon as I saw that there were two churches on the campus, I loved the idea of being able to attend church regularly.”
One thing Collins was missing, however, was a clear vision for her future. Having heard many people talk about their “dream job,” that aspect of Collins’s path was admittedly cloudy. “I just wanted the experience of going to college and furthering my education,” she said, noting she first started with core classes as a freshman student. During her second semester as a freshman, Collins signed up for Introduction to Criminology and recalled being “instantly inspired” by the material. She earned an A in the class and declared a criminology, law and society major during the first semester of her sophomore year.
Being immersed in this program at Saint Vincent College exposed Collins to a broad-based curriculum and provided her with a solid foundation in the theoretical core of criminology and a thorough understanding of the legal system. Along the way, she benefited from the tutelage of a collection of helpful professors, including McKenna School mainstays Dr. Bruce Antkowiak, C’74, JD, a professor of law and director of the pre-law program, and Dr. Eric Kocian, an associate professor of criminology and chair of the Department of Criminology, Law and Society.
“Many professors taught very valuable lessons, but the professor I looked up to the most was Dr. Kocian,” Collins said. “He taught me to trust in my faith and be the best student I could be.” She also recalled learning that despite encountering obstacles in life, persistence is a key factor in achieving goals. “I’ve had life-altering experiences, and I learned that having faith in God, He will see me through everything,” Collins added. “I have followed that discipline in my career.”
As part of the criminology, law and society major, Collins was required to take Ethical Decisions and Dilemmas in Criminal Justice, a class taught by Kocian, during her senior year. Looking back, the course remains her favorite during her time at the College. “I liked the class because we all talked to each other about experiences and related those experiences to ethics,” Collins said. “I learned a lot about myself and, more importantly, others.”
She also owes a debt of gratitude to Mary Niemiec, a former SVC professor of psychology who served as a mentor and Opportunity Program advisor to Collins. “She was a person I could lean on when I needed it,” Collins said, “and I felt comfortable sharing experiences that were related to academics, but also personal experiences as well. She will always remain one of my favorite mentors whom I will always admire and look up to.”
Following graduation in May 2022, Collins was still in search of that “dream job” that she kept hearing about. She first spent a little over a year as an insurance claims adjuster, then explored other jobs before beginning work as a lead teacher at a daycare center in December 2023.
In fall 2024, a family member informed Collins of a job posting for a juvenile probation officer in the Allegheny County Juvenile Probation Department. She was at first hesitant due to her lack of prior experience in the field. Anxious to try something new, she talked herself into applying for the position.
Collins landed the job, starting as a juvenile probation officer in October 2024. In her role, when a new case is formally charged in juvenile court, Collins receives the case and gathers more information from the involved parties. She then sends referrals for assessments to be completed, and upon receipt of those assessments, Collins consults with a supervisor concerning if the cases will be handled within the court system or informally, which is outside the court system.
If the case is handled outside of court, an intake conference is scheduled and the juvenile is placed under an extended service contract, or a low type of supervision. The case is then transferred to the field where a probation officer will visit the child in their home and school environment. If the case is handled in court, there are multiple hearings that Collins attends. Should the juvenile be found delinquent, they are then placed on a level of supervision. The case is then transferred to a field probation officer who visits the juvenile in their school and home environments.
“Now that I have been in the role for over a year, I know I have found my calling,” she said. “I have always loved working with children, but I also love the criminology field. I can combine both and cannot wait to see where it takes me.”
After one year in the fold, Collins received a profound gift of encouragement in the form of the Allegheny County Juvenile Probation Department Rookie of the Year honor. She was presented with the award by Russell Carlino, who serves as Allegheny County’s chief juvenile probation officer. “I was extremely grateful,” Collins said of receiving the award, which now sits inside her curio cabinet. “When I walk past it, it is a reminder that without my college education from Saint Vincent, and the support of family and mentors, I would not be having the success in my current role.”
Collins is presently enrolled in a master’s degree program at Shippensburg University studying juvenile justice system administration. On track to graduate in May 2027, Collins then plans to apply for different roles within the Probation Department, such as a field probation officer or a probation officer with the Community Intensive Supervision Project program. “Once I have experience working in different roles, I would like to become a supervisor,” she said, “and maybe one day, an assistant chief. I am truly blessed to be in the career I have chosen and cannot wait to see what my future holds.”
The Class of 2022 alumna has a handful of supporters rooting for her, including Antkowiak and Kocian, who remember Collins well.
“Taylor had something that made me know that she was headed for great things. She had a love for helping people by working with them for justice,” Antkowiak said. “She epitomizes what we hope all our graduates believe: that justice is up to them. We are deeply proud of her.”
Kocian echoed Antkowiak’s sentiments, adding that Criminology, Law and Society Department faculty strive to prepare students for all the challenges they will likely face in their field regardless of vocation.
“Taylor began her time at Saint Vincent with the right attitude as she constantly strived to better herself in and out of the classroom,” Kocian said. “She built herself into a courageous, competent and caring professional, and we are so very proud of her. We continue to support and pray for her and all those who are in the field and are grateful for their commitment and service.”
With Antkowiak and Kocian in mind, Collins added that while their classes were challenging, they pushed her to be the best student she could possibly be.
“Amazing professors make a difference in your college experience,” she said, “and I am so grateful I had the opportunity to be taught by them.”
Collins also continues to praise her family support system to this day, which includes her mother, father, stepfather and sister, Lauren. Collins said her mother remains a constant source of strength, encouragement and comfort. “She is the reason I never gave up on myself during my time at Saint Vincent and throughout the jobs I’ve held since graduation,” Collins said, acknowledging her mother for her endless sacrifices and unwavering support as a best friend and role model. “In moments of doubt, exhaustion or uncertainty, she was always there to remind me of my worth and my potential.
“She has pushed me to be my best while never failing to support me with patience and unconditional love. Her belief in me, even when I struggled to believe in myself, gave me the courage to keep moving forward,” Collins added. “She is the foundation that made all this possible.”
