Ever since I could remember I had wanted to join the military and serve my country. When high school graduation was near the decision to attend college or enlist in the military was a big decision. I finally decided to pursue a college education and a ROTC commission. I attend Norwich University which is the Senior Military College of Vermont for 3 years and participated in Naval ROTC and Army ROTC. Following my Junior year I was hired as a police officer in Washington D.C. However, my desire to serve in the military never went away. I still thought about how I could make my police service and my dream of military service work. I know that over my years of police service my ROTC experience and knowledge has helped me lead and prepare for stressful situations. I knew I needed to fulfill my goal and dream of serving my country and better myself for my family and community. In 2023, I enlisted in the PA Army National Guard as an Infantryman. I shipped out to Fort Moore, GA where I attended Army Infantry One Station Unit Training (OSUT) and began to achieve my goal and dreams. Since graduating from Army Infantry Training, I have felt that dread of never fulfilling a lifelong goal lift from my shoulders. I have becoming increasing more physically fit and a strong desire to better myself. My military service although just getting started and new has helped me become a better person in my personal life and in my career as a police officer. I know that the leadership roles in OSUT and just the leadership training and opportunities that the Army has provided has and will make me a better leader in my job. I also know that my time in the Army has made me a better father and husband. The time away has brought me closer to my family and truly showed how much you need to appreciate the time you have with your family and to do as much as possible with them when you can. Balancing family life, work, and the National Guard can be hard but when you find the right mix, it has been rewarding and allowed me to achieve my dream and goals while still maintaining my everyday life. I know that my service has made an impact in my life that has been a positive one. The military has affected my life in a positive way as it has allowed me to achieve my goals, show my family what you can accomplish with hard work and dedication and has opened new doors that I did not have prior to. I appreciate the Army for the service it allows me to fulfill and achieving my lifelong goals. The military has always been a positive thing for me and my family and will continue to be throughout my service. - Kyle Larrain

A scholarship is an opportunity that allows a student to take a moment to focus on their studies and not worry about the cost of their education. I know this scholarship would help me pursue my future career goals because it helps take away that burden of the cost of education allowing me to focus on and complete my degree which in turn allows me to begin preparing for the next steps in my educational journey and career. If awarded this scholarship I would be able to pay for the remainder of my undergraduate degree and begin preparing for the LSATs and applying to law school. As a police officer currently, I am in and out of the courthouse weekly and I have the chance to see some dedicated attorneys and some not-so-dedicated ones. Seeing these attorneys who do not have the drive and motivation to pursue justice just drives me toward wanting a future in law. I want to be able to help people differently than I currently do and help provide closure and peace of mind by not just taking the easy way out of a case or failing to prepare. I want to serve my community and the people who did their part and called the police and witnessed or were victims of a crime and now need someone who pursues justice. I want to be able to be an advocate for those victims who feel their voices are not heard once a case reaches the courts. This scholarship would help me reach those goals. The world needs dedicated lawyers who have seen the world from a different perspective point of view and I believe my experience as a police officer can help me become the lawyer I wish I would see more in the courtroom. Every day I see how the justice system needs dedicated and motivated people who want to work to better their community and seek a better world. Being able to expand my knowledge and reach my goals of having my law degree and one day practicing law to better my community, help seek justice and help make the world a better place starts with completing my undergraduate degree in criminal justice, studying and taking the LSAT, getting into law school and ultimately graduating. This scholarship would help me pursue all of that and reach my career goals. I would like to thank you for this opportunity to help expand my knowledge and reach my goals.

Every day I go to work and I engage with those who need help more than anyone. I am currently a Law Enforcement Officer in a small city in Maryland. Here I am able to help and engage with those who are struggling, have felt left behind and just need a hand. With my degree, I can advance my career and better position myself toward my goal of selfless service. I have a passion for law enforcement, helping others, and making a difference. My dream is to be a police chief that can change a police department for the better. Today the separation between law enforcement and the citizens they are sworn to protect is farther than ever. With my degree, I can advance as an officer, move up in the ranks, and make impactful changes that can help bridge that gap and improve relations. The goal of every law enforcement officer should be to make a difference and help someone in need. With that in mind, I go to work hoping to make that change, improve the quality of life, and bring back that friendly neighborhood police officer. I think often of the famous Norman Rockwell painting of a Massachusetts State Trooper sitting with a runaway child in a diner. That Trooper engages with the child and helps him realize that running away is not the right choice. That Trooper is who I aspire to be, to make a change in at least one life for the better and help make someone feel safe and enjoy life. This degree will hopefully help me achieve my goals and make a whole police department become that Trooper. My current degree study is in criminal justice with a minor in political science. What I have learned between those two studies is that anyone can make impactful change weather that’s thought legislature or being on the ground engaging with citizens. My studies have helped my career in guiding me toward making the right choices. A degree in criminal justice is often seen as a wasteful degree since it can only be used for two things a career in law enforcement or a law degree. However, I have seen this degree as so much more. I have been able to study all different aspects of law enforcement, I have spoken with experts from all levels of law enforcement, and I have learned how I can make a difference. By being someone with compassion and having a focus in community policing I can help engage with those who need help and see how I can make a difference for them.

Ever since I was a kid all I could imagine myself doing as a career was being a police officer. Today I can proudly say that I have accomplished that goal and get to serve in a small city in Maryland. As a law enforcement officer, I see it as part of my duties to serve the community with compassion, trust, and hard work. I am currently on a specialized unit where I get to truly combat the issues of gun violence and drug usage/overdoses that plague my community like so many others. I am able to help assist those who have abused drugs with my unit's close partnership with our county health department and I get to help investigate and solve cases related to illegal drug sales and shootings. While doing all of this I still believe a focus on community relations is a must, I volunteer to participate in coffee with a cop events, I’ll help out at community events and sit in dunk tanks, and I’ll carry around stickers for children. Helping build trust in confidence in the police is a goal I have for myself and my entire police department which I believe will help leave an impact on all of our community members. Being a police department comes with many different responsibilities, but the one that sits above the rest is the impact you can make every single day by helping those in need, working toward rebuilding trust, engaging the citizens, and having compassion. With that, I can make a different and leave an impact. When I was younger, I took a strong liking and desire for law enforcement and becoming a police officer. I can thank an officer from my hometown police department that engaged with me along with my friends answering our questions and stopping and saying hi while we played outside. I can also thank the U.S. customs officers that were advisors in my police explorer post that helped show me that being a police officer is what I truly wanted to do. Every officer who interacted with me played a role in some way toward my inspiration of becoming an officer and I can thank each one of them for their help and mentorship along the way. These officers offered mentorship that helped me explore different law enforcement paths, answered my millions of questions, and guilder me toward obtaining my degree and following my dreams. Without their help, I may have never achieved my goals and may have taken a different career path.