Ashley Bonomi '25 served as president of the Chemistry and Biochemistry club this past year with passion and enthusiasm. It's an unusual post for someone who's not a chemistry major.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit has aired 573 original episodes over 26 seasons. In fact, only three primetime scripted series in history (The Simpsons is #1) have produced more episodes. Last year, Bonomi ambitiously decided to binge the series. Ultimately, the weight of more than 500 episodes crushed that dream, but not before Bonomi made it through season 1, episode 8: "Stalked." In that episode, Detective Olivia Benson, played by Mariska Hargitay for the past quarter century, is introduced to someone like this: “It’s Detective Benson. Sixteen months in the Special Victims Unit. A graduate of Siena College. It’s public record.”
"I've always been interested in crime, and I definitely respect Detective Benson's character. I just thought it was so cool. We both graduated from the same school, and now I'm going into law enforcement, too."
That wasn't always Bonomi's plan. She originally pursued biochemistry, but it didn't seem like the right fit. Criminal justice felt closer and somehow further away at the same. Bonomi was interested in science, but didn't want to be in a lab full-time. And, if she was being honest, she also wanted to pursue bad guys. Siena just didn't have a major for all of that. Or, at least that's what Bonomi assumed.
"It was actually one of my biochemistry professors who recommended it. She said, 'Why don't you just make your own major?'"
So she did. Bonomi graduated with a student designed interdisciplinary major in forensic science, and on July 17, she began her career with New York State. The details of the work aren't permitted to be shared, but it is very much in the realm of what she trained for.
"The major was perfect. I was able to customize it and it was very collaborative. I could lean on Professor Tobi Kirschmann for the forensics or Professor Annie Rody-Wright for criminal justice. Professor Rachel Sterne-Marr was a great resource on the science side. When I interviewed, I could tell they really thought the customized major was great. I had this unique background, before I even graduated, in science plus social/criminal justice and forensics. I had an internship with Professor Kirschmann at her company, DNA Finders. That experience was incredibly valuable, too."
And so was Bonomi's time at the MacDonnell Career and Internship Center.
"Before my interview, I did a quick session with them. It was such a huge help. Honestly, I was clueless before that. They taught me this whole interviewing skillset that was invaluable. I highly recommend it to all students."
Bonomi was happy to serve as president of the Chemistry and Biochemistry club, despite her major switch, because it's okay to major in one subject and have a passion in something else. It's actually better than okay. That's how the world works – and she was couldn't wait to step into it.
"It's been amazing, and I was just so excited to start. I swear, I woke up every day this summer and it was like Christmas morning. I was counting down the days until I started."
"Ashley was fearless in her approach to her education. She knew for certain that she was interested in criminal justice and forensic genealogy and she was flexible and open-minded about putting it all together. Using SDMI, Ashley formed a specific education that met Siena requirements while catering specifically to her interests. When she applied for jobs, she moved forward immediately and I have no doubt the interview committees were impressed with her leadership and convinced of her commitment to law enforcement and public safety."
Tobi Kirschmann, professor of forensics and investigative genetic genealogy
