Hello everyone, welcome to my blog! My name is Kimberly, but most people call me Kim. I live in Maryland and have lived here my whole life.  I am the only left handed person in my family. I have a younger sister and two chihuahua dogs. A lot of people throughout my life have always told me I look just like my dad and my sister looks just like my mom, if you were to see us in public you probably would've never guessed we were related. I have a very light complexion with light brown hair while my sister is very tan with pitch black hair. My sister and I are a year and a half apart so it feels very fulfilling knowing I've had someone I can share my life with ever since I can remember. 

Photo Credits: Kimberly Villela

Both of my parents are from Guatemala, I was fortunate enough to learn Spanish as my native language which now has helped me drastically. My birthday is in late December so I started school a year after everyone else. While in high school, I decided to take college courses and graduated a year early. Throughout high school I became very active and found myself joining the track team which later became something I really enjoyed and was passionate about. Although I only had 3 years to enjoy the sport I loved, it allowed me to cherish the moments made with my teammates a lot more. Once I graduated I decided to attend the University of Maryland to study Criminology/Criminal Justice. I've always had a passion to help others and have seen how hard it's been for my parents so becoming a lawyer is something I knew I wanted to do at a very young age. Watching true crime shows has also contributed to studying Criminal Justice. Two of my favorite shows of all time are Suits and Criminal Minds. 

My first semester at UMD really helped me branch out and get out of my comfort zone. By doing so, I was able to find the UMD running club. Not only were they really welcoming when I joined, but they have been such a great support group when training and competing. Branching out in my classes has allowed me to meet my current friends. Overall my experience at UMD has been a gift and I am very thankful to be a Terp. 

In terms of media interests, I am particularly interested in how media shapes and perceives crime, the criminal justice system, and social issues through documentary, news and movies/shows. I'm very interested in how social media can create fake narratives and biases while simultaneously being able to advocate for issues in the criminal justice system. By the end of the semester I would like to explore the answers to these questions:

  • How does social media influence punishment and crime?
  • In what ways do news organizations use language to appeal to certain audiences?
  • How does the increased use of social media affect public perception of crime?