Senior Ara Vanne already has her whole life planned, out and she hasn’t even graduated yet. She plans to go to Green Bay for her bachelor’s degree, and then she’ll make her way to Colorado to get a master’s in forensic psychology.
Vanne was inspired by a YouTuber named Eleanor Neale and sparked her interest in forensics. “She makes videos covering crime cases, and I literally watch her every day all the time,” Vanne said.
Her mom has been in the psychology field, working with kids, for most of her life. Vanne admired her mom for how she was able to help the kids by getting into their minds. As she grew older she found her love of true crime.
The thing that sealed the deal was a field trip she took in her criminal justice class. “It was like I was in a movie because we went to go talk to these murderers and it was snowing outside and I felt like I was in a documentary,” she said.
Vanne’s fascination continued as she thought more and more about it. “A lot of crime cases always follow like, you know, this troubled kid is a troubled kid, and that’s why he kills people,” she said. “But you know there are so many different things that could go into it, and I want to figure it out.”
The story behind the serial killer is the part she wants to understand. She wants to figure out the answer to the question why. A person who gets bullied in high school could either turn into a really nice person or a serial killer. Why?
“Most of the serial killers’ IQ’s are probably higher than Albert Einstein,” Vanne said. If you were in a serial killer’s mind you would see how smart they are. But does being smart make you a serial killer, that’s what Vanne wants to figure out.
