Erika Hodges-Baines
Public Safety Constable
Erika Hodges-Baines first joined Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ Tech as a student in 2007. After graduating with a degree in homeland security, she pursued a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Wilmington University. She returned to Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ Tech 15 years later as a public safety constable and said she feels like a proud mom every time she sees students walk across the stage at graduation.
Q: What is your favorite thing about working at Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ Tech?
“As an alum, I really enjoyed coming back to Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ Tech to help both traditional and non-traditional students meet their educational goals.”
Q: Why was it important for you to work at Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ Tech?
“Working at Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ Tech gives me the opportunity to give back what was given to me as a non-traditional student from out of state. I enjoy seeing students return to further their education.”
Q: What did you do before working at Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ Tech?
“Prior to working at Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ Tech, I worked at Nemours Children’s Hospital for about six months. Prior to working at Nemours, I worked at Wesley College until Wesley was acquired by Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ State University in 2021.”
Q: Describe your first day at Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ Tech. What was that experience like?
“My very first day at Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ Tech was very welcoming. The faculty and staff were all very nice and eager to get to know Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ Tech’s newest female constable.”
Q: What changes have you seen in yourself since you started working here?
“I now find myself very approachable and eager to assist whenever I can. I worked in prison [NYC Department of Corrections] for 20 years, so I was a little … a little harsh, but I find myself a kinder, gentler constable now compared to when I first became one. I’m more hands-on. I’m eager to help. I want to help everybody because I want to see them [students] succeed. I love seeing them walk across the stage, as opposed to when they first came in, and they were so timid and they were shy and they wouldn’t ask questions. But then when you see them walk across that stage, I feel like a mom. I get emotional, so I like to see that.”
Q: What hobbies or interests do you have outside of the College?
“I enjoy traveling outside of the country and attending Sunday morning church service. I want to go to Tahiti. I think that would be my dream vacation.”
Q: Do you have a favorite memory from your time at Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ Tech?
“My most memorable time at Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ Tech was as a student in Intro to Criminal Justice with Jennifer Mosley as my instructor. She taught with humor which made her key points very easy to remember.”
Q: What’s something people may not know about you?
“I retired from the NYC Department of Corrections in 2007 after completing 20 years of service. When I got here [Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ], I’m sitting in my kitchen and I’m looking at the field across from me. Nothing but an open field. And I said, ‘Okay, I came from the city. What am I going to do here?’ My husband said, ‘Well, why don’t you go to school?’ I said, ‘Well, I’m not doing anything, so let me give it a try.’ So, I did. It was cute because my daughter, every time she would get an A, I would have to give her $10. So, when I went to school, the first A I got, she gave me $10.”
Q: How do you define student success?
“In order to be successful, students must utilize all the resources Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ Tech has to offer. Study hard, ask questions, and always come to class prepared and ready to work.”
Job Title
Public Safety Constable
Started Working at Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ Tech
2022