My career path will lead me to become a Federal Agent and do my part to be a peacemaker in the world. As a missionary I helped Ramstein Air Force Base during the evacuation from Kabul when thousands of refugees were evacuated from Kabul to Ramstein AFB. I saw firsthand the devastation of conflict uprooting people's lives, and it was heartbreaking. Since then, I will do my part to prevent similar conflicts from recurring. With my education I will go into Federal Law Enforcement to counter terrorism. I have always been aspired by bible stories I grew up with. Especially the stories that demonstrate courage and faith. My favorite has always been David and Goliath. I admire David's courage not only to face Goliath but to defy his brothers, King Saul and the rest of the army to stand against Goliath alone. I also admire David's cunning, bringing a sling to a sword fight. But most of all I admire David's faith in God to trust His will over the problem he saw. I can adapt these lessons in my career in Federal Law Enforcement by having the courage to face the problem, even if that means facing it alone. I will also think creatively and adopt tactics that will restore peace the quickest. But most of all I will have faith in my God and His plan. I am a fanatical learner of history. I have found wisdom and strength in the men and women who lived through challenging times and solved incredibly difficult problems. Most recently I read a book about World War Two and it talked about one of my heroes. Admiral William Halsey was part of the naval leadership in charge of keeping the American Navy floating after the Attack on Pearl Harbor. He said two of my favorite quotes, the first is “There aren’t any great men. There are just great challenges that ordinary men like you and me are forced by circumstances to meet.”. This has taught me that I don't have to be a special, larger than life person to solve a problem. I can just be me, and solve whatever problems come my way. His second quote of his that I love is “All problems become smaller if you don’t dodge them but confront them. Touch a thistle timidly, and it pricks you; grasp it boldly, and its spines crumble.”. I have always adopted this mindset in my professional career, currently as a security officer. I often come across problems I don't know how to solve from the outset. But I do not let that stop me, I jump right in and solve the problem one step at a time, and it has not let me down. Micah Scheel

I learned from my mental health issues how to be a more balanced person. In August 2021 I was serving as a missionary for my church near Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany. At the same time the Afghan Evacuation from Kabul evacuated 48,000 refugees to Ramstein. Seeing people in need the other missionaries and I decided to help. We passed out food and clothes and helped in any way we could. Witnessing this event was heart breaking and when the crisis was over, I found myself with a lingering depression that stemmed from what I saw trying to help the Afghan people. It is without a doubt that these evacuees faced real adversity and my problems will never and should never be compared to their plight. As the depression spiraled it began to impact my daily functions as a missionary until mission leadership and I decided that the best thing to do was for me to return home. I loved being a missionary it was the best thing I ever did in my life, up to that point and it came to a premature end because of my mental health issues. This was devastating to me, the one thing in my life I wanted to be good at was ripped away because of my depression. When I got home, I was angry and disappointed at myself in addition to the depression I faced every day. I had to decide, I could either A) stay like this and wrap myself up in a blanket burrito the rest of my life waiting for the anti-depressants to kick in or B) I could work on getting back on my feet. I heard a quote from Fleet Admiral William Halsey that changed my life. “All problems become smaller if you don’t dodge them but confront them. Touch a thistle timidly, and it pricks you; grasp it boldly, and its spines crumble.” Instead of dodging the healing process I boldly grasped it, I went to therapy, had meaningful inner dialogue and I listened and followed the advice of qualified medical professionals until I no longer needed any anti-depressants and I felt 'normal' again. I was able to learn coping skills from that experience that I have been able to adopt every time I face a stressful situation. Today I work as a security officer and in my time, I have had to deal with some dangerous and stressful situations; however, I was able to utilize the coping skills I learned to work through those situations. Now as I get my education and work toward my goal of becoming a federal law enforcement officer, I will use these skills to overcome future feelings of depression and anxiety Micah Scheel.

The most recent experience where I demonstrated exceptional leadership skills was on the weekend of April 6th and 7th. I work for a security department and that weekend we had a major event. I was posted to oversee a metal detector and the volunteers who ran it. I am currently the youngest security officer employed by my department. Many of the people I interact with (including the metal detector volunteers) are skeptical of my abilities because of my youth. It was critical for me to demonstrate exceptional leadership skills so the volunteers I oversaw knew I was proficient at my job. The second challenge I faced was because of the layout of the entrance and the design of the metal detectors. I was told that my post would be an awkward post to run, and we would get backed-up easily. The icing on the cake of challenges was that our door was the door designated for VIPs, so success was critical. The first leadership strategy I implemented was to conduct a team briefing. I demonstrated extreme professionalism by being well prepared and knowing the policy of the venue. The second part of my briefing was an introduction, I introduced myself and gave my background. I then listened to each of them and understood their background. Establishing this rapport was critical in building a relationship of trust with the volunteers. The second strategy I implemented was to listen to my volunteers. Each of them had ideas on how to improve the placement of the metal detectors and other ways to make the door run more smoothly. While not every idea could be implemented, I heard each of them out and when I rejected an idea, I gave them the reason why I did not think that it would work. But when I received a good idea, I was not afraid to change the set up or our operating procedures. Finally, I stood up for my people, unfortunately we made a mistake and when we got corrected, I took responsibility for the mistake and took the 'chewing out'. Instead of passing on the blame I calmly explained to my team what went wrong and implemented a plan to prevent the same mistake from happening again. It worked! Our door was projected to be busy and backed up. However, the leadership strategies that were implemented caused my door to run smoother than most other doors. I learned valuable leadership skills. I learned the importance of personal rapport, being professional, listening to feedback and advocating for my team. These are strategies that I can implement in every leadership position I obtain to make a positive difference in my profession. Micah Scheel

As I reflect on my life, I have noticed that every good aspect of my life was a result of being connected to the military. My father served in the United States Air Force, consequently I grew up as a 'military brat' with all the responsibilities and challenges it entails. However, it was those challenges that forged me into who I am today. Living as a Military brat taught me the most valuable lesson anyone could ever learn, the importance of service and sacrifice. My connection to the military gave me an understanding of what others have sacrificed to keep our country free. This has instilled in me the importance and necessity of sacrifice and service. I have learned that every good thing in this world results from service and sacrifice. And when my community requires service and sacrifice, stepping up has always been a great honor to me. This has inspired me to explore careers that require service and sacrifice to help their community. Living as a Military brat also implanted a sense of adventure in me. If I have learned anything in the 13 places I have lived it was that there is always something new to explore and a new culture to learn about. When my dad was stationed in Europe, we explored so many diverse cultures and countries. This has given me firsthand experience with cultures vastly different from mine own. This knowledge and understanding led to an appreciation for other cultures. This has helped me in my academic and professional journey. Cultural literacy has helped me to relate to those of different cultures and reach a common understanding. A few years ago, I was serving as a missionary near Ramstein Air Force Base when the Afghan Evacuation from Kabul unexpectedly occurred, and the evacuees were being evacuated to Ramstein AFB. As a Military kid I had a military id and could get on base to serve the people in need an. This was a humbling opportunity that I will always cherish. I was in the right place at the right time and with the right resources to do my part in serving those in need, all thanks to my connection to the military. I will be eternally grateful for the crucial part the military played in shaping who I am today. To pay it forward I have decided that I want to be a civilian special agent for the Office of Special Investigation (O.S.I). I want to investigate crimes that involve the United States Air Force. This career will allow me to serve the community that helped me throughout my entire life. Micah Scheel

The King James Version of Mathew 5:9 says, "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God". This is my life's mission. I will create a better world and share my faith by being a peacemaker. I know this because I have done it, I am striving to do it today and I have plans to keep doing it. I have helped to create a better world by being a peacemaker when I was front and center as a volunteer Missionary at Ramstein Air Force Base during the 2021 Afghan Evacuation from Kabul. I have seen firsthand what happens when conflict disrupts the lives of thousands of Gods children. Since that day I have dedicated my life to protecting and serving all of His's children regardless of faith. I have come to learn that the most effective way I can apply the gifts and talents God has given me is by keeping others safe. This has inspired me to seek a career working at a Federal Law Enforcement agency, this way I can use my talents to keep our nation and all of God's children safe. I currently work for my church's security department. While I am hired as a security officer, I see my role as more of a tactical missionary. Some share God's love by preaching, others by serving but I share God's love by keeping people safe as they worship and learn about God's word. I am currently striving to make the world a better place in maintaining a safe and secure environment for the good word to go forth. In my career as a Federal Law Enforcement Officer, I will still be a peacemaker but on a larger scale. As a Federal Law Enforcement Officer my career is focused on being a peacemaker and resolving different and harder conflicts. This way I can share my faith through my career. Another fantastic way to share my faith is to live my life as a disciple of Jesus Christ and following his teachings. I have come to learn that disciples of Christ are people who let their actions demonstrate to others that they are followers of Jesus Christ. Not just their words. In my career I will always try to be a shining example of a disciple of Christ. I will live my life in a manner where all those who know me can tell that I am a follower of Jesus Christ without even asking. Micah Scheel

As a full-time student, full-time employee and being recently married I must balance my three priorities in life, my marriage, my work, and my education but I have always seen it as a strength. While it can be challenging to find time to balance all my tasks at work and complete a full-time student workload. I have found that as I continue to persevere and proactively plan my week, I have always found time to complete every assignment on time. This has led me to blend my workload and my education to grow in both areas of my life. Currently I work in security in a downtown setting and at the same time I am getting a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. The security department I work for hires many former police officers and federal agents. They have served as friends and invaluable resources to help me expand my understanding of the concepts I have learned in the online classroom. Then down the road when I run into a situation that requires me to use a skill I have learned about, I can solve that issue more effectively. The best example I have was last semester. I was taking a 'communications in criminal justice' class and that week we learned about effective interviewing techniques. When I went on shift that week, I talked to one of my coworkers who was a police officer for 20 years about what interviewing techniques he found was the most effective. He taught me a different interview technique I did not learn called Serial Recall. I was able to apply this technique in the week’s assignment which I completed with a passing grade. A few days later we had an incident at work that required getting several witness statements I was then able to apply the Serial Recall technique I learned from my coworker in addition to what I learned in class to retrieve the information I needed to resolve the situation. I have always seen balancing work and school as my strength because I can use my experience and the experiences of my friends and co-workers to grow and benefit my schoolwork. Then I can use my schoolwork to grow into a better and more well-rounded employee. I do this by applying what I learn in the classroom in my career whenever I get the chance. This mindset will help me as I graduate and start my career working in Federal Law Enforcement.

Extreme Professionalism. If I needed to answer the prompt in two words, I would choose extreme professionalism. Extreme professionalism relies on the first fundamental truth of communication; All people want to be treated with respect. This means in every daily interaction I will treat everyone with the respect that I would like exhibited to me if our roles were reversed. While simple to exercise in most career paths, it becomes challenging in the criminal justice system when daily interactions include many underserved populations. However, the principles of extreme professionalism remain the same no matter how emotionally challenged the subject is or their intoxication level they will be treated with the up most of respect. A large tenant of extreme professionalism is understanding the underlaying social issues and addressing them. In my current occupation as a security officer in a downtown setting I often encounter many members of my community who are homeless. My role as a security officer often time requires me to interact and come into conflict with the behavior that homeless subjects exhibit. The most effective solution I have found is extreme professionalism. No matter what mental health or drug issues they are struggling with I always ensure that my fellow officer's and I treat them with extreme professionalism and ensure that we do whatever in our power to solve the issue, not just 'kick the can down the road'. As a security officer I find myself in the front lines of the fight against homelessness. To address this issue, I never end a contact unless I know that the person, I am dealing with; 1) has a safe warm place to stay, 2) knows where to get the resources they need, 3) knows the location of local medical care centers. If they do not know the answer to these questions or need further assistance, then I do everything I can to help them. Solutions I have implemented include. 1) Giving them a 'hardship relief card' which contains the address and contact information of several homeless resource centers in the area. 2) Contacting and aiding EMS 3) Arranging support from 3rd parties (calling family members, arranging transport from local outreach centers) I will implement this approach in my daily conduct as I make a career in the criminal justice system. I will treat every person I meet with extreme professionalism and address every underling factor that causes offensive behavior. Even though I will not always be in a leadership position I will lead by letting my actions of extreme professionalism be an example to the officers and agents I interact with. Micah Scheel