When I was in third grade, I experienced several hours of school lockdown due to a shooting at our district’s high school, Arapahoe High School. Many of my friends had siblings who were in the school when it happened. I knew people from church who knew the shooter and the victim who passed away days after being shot. Though very young, I became aware of how important law enforcement is in emergency situations. I remember being scared that this bad guy was going to come to my house and harm me and my family. I found comfort in knowing that if I were to be in any kind of danger, I had trustworthy police officers who would do absolutely everything they could to help me, just as they did for the students at Arapahoe. Until high school, my interactions with law enforcement were limited. At 14 years old, I began volunteering in a program called Teens in Emergency Services (TIES) in my new hometown of Ridgewood, New Jersey. In this wonderful program, I was able to volunteer alongside police, fire, and EMS departments. I learned valuable information about first responders and was trained on many procedures and policies. When I came to study at Brigham Young University, I started working as a Security Guard. In this position, I communicate daily with University and City Police Departments. A year in, I obtained my EMT license and began responding to emergency medical incidents. Although I considered becoming a Paramedic, I was reminded of my passion of not only helping people, but protecting them. Living in New Jersey for eight years gave me a new perspective on Law Enforcement. Many of my peers refer to police officers as “pigs.” Following the death of George Floyd, I became afraid to admit that I wanted to go into law enforcement. However, my desire and passion had not faded. I knew that I wanted to be the cop that young me would have looked up to and trusted. I deeply admire law enforcement officers and all they do for citizens, especially when their efforts are taken for granted. Often, it is a demanding and thankless job. Police officers help anyone and everyone. After obtaining my degree in Communications, I plan on entering the Police Academy and becoming an officer. While working in patrol, I hope to get a master’s degree that will help me obtain a career in federal law enforcement. My desired area of work is in sex trafficking because I know I can provide comfort to victims and provide perspective as a woman in a male-dominated field. Many people wonder why I want to be a cop, and I often wonder that myself. My dad works in finance and my mom is a therapist. I don’t even have extended relatives in the military or in law enforcement. What I do have is coworkers with similar aspirations who hold me accountable, bosses who candidly tell me what I can expect, a JiuJitsu coach who tells me about his experiences in the job and the importance of protecting yourself so you can protect others, and supportive (though nervous) family members who encourage my endeavors. My goal is not to be the coolest cop on the street or to have the coolest stories to pass on, my goal is to help people on the worst days of their lives. Law enforcement officers have the opportunity and responsibility to preserve justice and protect the public. This duty is both daunting and exciting and I look forward to experiencing it.