Alumna Found a Way to Achieve Life Goals Without a Roadmap

First-generation graduate attained success as an FBI agent by never giving up on herself

In a journey that saw her transform from a first-generation college student into a special agent for the FBI, Christine “Chris” Fischer Senseney CCAS’73 RLAW’78 lives and breathes the benefits of her Rutgers–Camden “commuter college” education. Now, by establishing an endowed scholarship, Senseney is ensuring qualified students can count on her support in meeting their own public service career goals.

Primary to Senseney ’s longstanding connection to Rutgers–Camden is her ongoing participation in the Phi Sigma Sigma sorority. She has been a loyal member since her freshman year. “I found a lifetime community of friends with my sorority sisters,” Senseney said.

The scholarship she is funding, the Charlie and Chris Senseney Scholarship—administered through the Phi Sigma Sigma Foundation—is named for her and her late husband, who also worked in law enforcement. The gift will support qualified Phi Sigma Sigma sisters who are aiming for careers in public service, especially in the fields of law, government service, or criminal justice.

Senseney said endowing the scholarship is a peak moment for her in a remarkable life story that began in a family of modest means in Maple Shade, N.J. “I knew college was a good goal for me, and I was accepted into Rutgers–Camden, but I wasn’t sure how to make the most of that opportunity,” Senseney said. “I joined every activity I could because that helped me to meet people, and I loved working on the school newspaper.” She went on to become editor-in-chief of The Gleaner.

“I didn’t struggle academically, because I was a good student, but looking back, I didn’t have a well thought-out career plan,” Senseney said.

Senseney choose to major in Spanish because she had an instinct that knowing the language could be useful. She knew the Camden area had a large proportion of Spanish-speaking residents.

“I didn’t know where my major would lead, but what I had was determination. After graduation I chose to go to law school,” Senseney said. Accepted into the University of Maryland, she arrived there only to find a challenge with her housing arrangements. For two months, Senseney slept on the floor of an apartment that had no furniture. “Fortunately, I had a sleeping bag, but that wasn’t the best way to start law school.”

Senseney left the University of Maryland after three semesters, because she was needed at home to help with family matters. “I wanted to continue with law school, but my father passed away, and I had to come home,” Senseney said. She was able to transfer to Rutgers Law School in Camden and felt, again, this was where she was meant to be. More than that, following law school, Senseney began an ascent in law enforcement that was aided by the confidence she found in herself at Rutgers–Camden.

“Things fell into place, and I did not hesitate when I had the opportunity to become an assistant prosecutor for Burlington County,” Senseney said. “And in the Acme supermarket I ran into a favorite, former high school teacher of mine, Frank Thiel, who followed up on that meeting with a phone call,” said Senseney. “We had both studied Spanish at Rutgers–Camden under Professor Eladio Cortes. Thiel had left teaching and now was working with the FBI. He asked if I was interested in joining and I was.”

Senseney’s aptitude for languages proved to be valuable in her new career path. “I learned Russian quite quickly and for a long time worked in the New York-area in foreign counterintelligence assignments,” she said. Senseney also served as an investigator into the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993 and was on the team that investigated the 1996 crash of TWA Flight 800, which crashed into the Atlantic Ocean shortly after taking off from Kennedy Airport in New York City.

Senseney later relocated to Las Vegas, where she continued to work for the FBI until her recent retirement. She is now returning to the Philadelphia area following the 2021 death of her husband and is looking forward to engaging more with the Rutgers–Camden alumni community.

The road less taken may not have come with a map for Senseney, but she achieved unbeatable outcomes through trusting her instincts, taking calculated risks, and never giving up on herself. And she is still learning and growing: She has continued to study languages, including French, Mandarin Chinese, and American Sign Language. Additionally, Senseney has served as the national president of Phi Sigma Sigma, and remains active in volunteer committee roles.

“If I am asked what advice I have to pass on to current students, I would say don’t be too set in your path,” Senseney said. “Don’t give up on yourself and always leave room for opportunity and chance.”

Learn more about the Chris and Charlie Senseney Scholarship and the Rutgers University–Camden Class of 1973 Reunion Campaign Fund, which was established by a reunion committee that included Chris Senseney.

WE ARE YOU is an ongoing series of stories about the people who embody Rutgers University’s unwavering commitment to academic excellence, building community, and the common good.