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Arianna Padovano �Ӱ�ԭ��20, �Ӱ�ԭ��23 M.S. loves her work as a cybercrime investigative analyst. It�Ӱ�ԭ��s just the way the staff at the office described it when she was interviewing for the job: �Ӱ�ԭ��You�Ӱ�ԭ��re a detective, but without the gun and the badge.�Ӱ�ԭ��

Each day, she digs into any one or more of her 18 active cases, where she does long-term investigations into cyberstalking, tech fraud, cryptocurrency scams, child pornography, money laundering, and gift-card fraud. She follows winding, complex trails to capture criminals.

�Ӱ�ԭ��We do all our analysis, and go through records,�Ӱ�ԭ�� Padovano says. �Ӱ�ԭ��We execute search warrants and send subpoenas and court orders to get the evidence we need. Usually, the targets in our cases have no idea they are being investigated.�Ӱ�ԭ��

Some crimes are solved within weeks or months, such as a recent case involving a man who had stolen ATM card numbers and was cashing out the accounts of many people. He was arrested and the case was sent to a grand jury.

�Ӱ�ԭ��That gave the victims some peace,�Ӱ�ԭ�� said Padovano. �Ӱ�ԭ��That�Ӱ�ԭ��s my favorite part of the job.�Ӱ�ԭ��

�Ӱ�ԭ��I learn something new every single day�Ӱ�ԭ��

Other crimes can take more than a year to solve, including one she�Ӱ�ԭ��s currently working on, a check fraud-romance scam case where a man woos women online and then scams them and steals their money.

�Ӱ�ԭ��This case involves hundreds and hundreds of victims,�Ӱ�ԭ�� she says.

And months and months of dogged pursuit.

It�Ӱ�ԭ��s what Padovano says she was taught to do in her undergraduate work in criminal justice at the University of New Haven. And it�Ӱ�ԭ��s central to her courses in the University�Ӱ�ԭ��s online Master of Science in Investigations program, where she is pursuing a concentration in financial crimes. She thrives thinking nimbly and creatively about cases, working collaboratively, and resolutely tracking them to their conclusions.

She collaborates often with her colleagues in the DA�Ӱ�ԭ��s office. �Ӱ�ԭ��I have amazing co-workers who are all around the same age, and we�Ӱ�ԭ��ve become close friends,�Ӱ�ԭ�� she says. �Ӱ�ԭ��I�Ӱ�ԭ��ve been here almost a year, and I learn something new every single day. I learn different ways to think about a case, or someone else will have an idea, or someone will ask me, and I�Ӱ�ԭ��ll say, �Ӱ�ԭ��Have you tried this?�Ӱ�ԭ���Ӱ�ԭ��

'This is exactly what I wanted�Ӱ�ԭ��

She says life is busy juggling work in the DA�Ӱ�ԭ��s office and working on her online master�Ӱ�ԭ��s degree, but she says she can�Ӱ�ԭ��t get over how in-the-moment and current her courses are and how relevant they are to her daily work.

�Ӱ�ԭ��I just finished a class in �Ӱ�ԭ��Contemporary Topics in Investigation,�Ӱ�ԭ���Ӱ�ԭ�� she says. �Ӱ�ԭ��The week I had an assignment due on preparing for a grand jury was the same week I testified before one. I felt calm when I testified because the class showed us technical approaches you can take, and how to prepare.�Ӱ�ԭ��

After testifying, she reached out to her professor, Paul E. Zikmund, to tell him just how prepared the course made her. �Ӱ�ԭ��I was very grateful,�Ӱ�ԭ�� she says.

At the moment, she�Ӱ�ԭ��s taking �Ӱ�ԭ��Current Topics in Corporate Investigations,�Ӱ�ԭ�� learning about the latest corporate investigations. �Ӱ�ԭ��When I have free time, I�Ӱ�ԭ��m looking into other cases I think are interesting,�Ӱ�ԭ�� she says. �Ӱ�ԭ��Without this course, I wouldn�Ӱ�ԭ��t be as current.�Ӱ�ԭ��

The first in her family to receive a bachelor�Ӱ�ԭ��s degree, Padovano says she is proud to now be pursuing her master�Ӱ�ԭ��s.

�Ӱ�ԭ��The Investigations program offers what no other school has,�Ӱ�ԭ�� she says. �Ӱ�ԭ��In the financial crimes concentration, you can study either the private or public sector track or both. I want to eventually go into the private sector, and I�Ӱ�ԭ��m working in the public sector now, so I get to learn about both. This is exactly what I wanted.�Ӱ�ԭ��