Sally Kreamer

As deputy director of community-based corrections for the Iowa Department of Corrections, Sally Kreamer (’85 psychology) relies on her Iowa State psychology degree daily.

“We use data every day in corrections to make decisions,” she said. “My degree introduced the need to carefully evaluate decisions and how they impact both individuals and systems.”

Like many Cyclones, Kreamer was instantly drawn to Iowa State because of its beautiful tree-filled campus and its small community feeling. While it took her a little longer to declare her academic major — until her senior year — she noticed her interests often led her in one direction.

“I always seemed to gravitate to classes in the psychology department,” she said. “I loved the science. I did an internship my sophomore year for ACCESS and loved the work.”

After graduating from Iowa State with a degree in psychology and a minor in criminal justice, Kreamer started her first job as a probation/parole officer. She later earned her master’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Cincinnati in 2004, and thanks to Iowa State psychology’s required statistics courses, she says she was well-prepared for graduate school.

Kreamer encourages future Iowa State psychology students to take advantage of internships and networking while exploring the field’s diverse career opportunities.

“Network, ask questions, talk to your advisor, do internships,” she said. “Check with Iowa Workforce Development to see what jobs are in most demand and how your degree can serve you. I took a corrections job because they were the ones that were hiring at the time. It was the best decision I ever made.”