Dexter, Crime Shows & The Reason I Knew Forensics Was for Me

If I’m being honest, I think I’ve always had one foot in the world of forensics—before I even knew what that meant.

Yes, I still had a super girly childhood. I grew up on fairytales, princess movies, and all the sparkly stuff. I loved that world too. But while some girls were dreaming about castles, I was also curled up on the couch watching Dexter, Criminal Minds, NCIS, and CSI—completely locked in.

There was just something about it. The mystery. The logic. The fact that there was always a story underneath the surface, waiting to be revealed—and someone smart enough to figure it out.

I used to watch these characters walk into crime scenes and somehow see what no one else could. I didn’t have the words for it then, but I just knew: I wanted to be that person. The one who notices what’s out of place. Who pieces things together when everyone else is still confused. The one who isn’t afraid to look closer.

And Dexter? Yeah… that show had me in a chokehold. Not in a creepy way (okay, maybe a little creepy 😅), but because of how it portrayed science. Cold. Exact. Deep. A little twisted. But powerful. Dexter was never about the fluff—he was about results. About truth. He didn’t always connect emotionally, but he had a purpose. He paid attention. And that stuck with me.

Honestly, science feels like that sometimes. It can be intense and isolating—but it also grounds you. It makes you think bigger. It teaches you to look harder. You can’t fake anything in science. You have to know.

Now that I’ve actually been in real labs—especially cadaver labs—it all clicks. That eerie calm I used to see on TV? I feel that now. When I walk into a lab, I don’t get grossed out. I feel focused. Present. Safe. Almost called.

Fiction lit the spark.

Real-life forensics gave me the roots.

And now I know—I was made for this.