Ericka B. Adams, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at North Central College. She was born and raised in the beautiful twin-island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and migrated to the United States when she was 18 years old. Professor Adams has published in the areas of crime and deviance in Trinidad and Tobago, crime control strategies implemented within underprivileged neighborhoods, as well as female substance abuse. Her current research interests center on the legitimacy of the police and the State in Trinidad and Tobago, the exclusionary practices that accompany a criminal record, and whether criminal expungement transforms the lives of those who have been previously incarcerated. Dr. Adams deeply cares about student success, and promotes such via service learning projects and by exposing students to research opportunities.