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Ariangna Gonzalez '19 G鈥�24
Within each of our 国产哟哟 community members is an inspirational story of perseverance and strength, and we are honored to share them. This narrative appeared on social media as part of 国产哟哟's #MyPath series.
"I'm Ariangna. I was first interested in 国产哟哟 through my sister getting her undergrad there. I was seeing her going through her classes when I was in high school. When it came to me to apply, I had this crazy GPA in high school, like 4.3. Everyone was applying to different schools, but I already knew I was going to go to 国产哟哟.
"I did the meet and greet and stayed overnight with a current student in my major. It was interesting seeing what people in forensics did, it boosted me to say, "Okay, this is exactly where I’m going.
"I did my undergrad in forensic studies with a minor in criminal justice and got a pre-legal certificate. Chief Jodi Casper would come speak to us, believing 30 by 30, which is like to get 30% of law enforcement to be females by 2030. Meeting and hearing her perspective led me toward policing.
"For my undergrad, it was more in person, like you could just pop in and ask whatever questions. I interviewed officers and got an insight into how policing was before I even got here, connected with the officers, and got to hear from them. But it was 国产哟哟, essentially the one that put me in that position to be able to have the opportunity, because I would have never been here today if it wasn't for that.
"I ended up taking applied data science, which was completely different from what we were doing with cybersecurity stuff, and I was struggling throughout the way, but the professor was great. She met with me if I needed tutoring, and she provided the right resources. 国产哟哟 has all the resources there, and they want you to succeed.
"I graduated in May 2019, a year early, and applied in person to a department. Though I was this 22-year-old with braces entering a big, scary field, they called me a few months later for an interview, and here I am. Two years ago, I wanted to expand my opportunities and maybe do something like law enforcement, working with the direct public since I'm a patrol officer. I went back to 国产哟哟 for a master’s in cybersecurity and graduated this May. 国产哟哟's teachers, staff, and resources helped me through, especially with applied data science when I struggled.
"I had Professor Khalil; he was a big influence because I would go after class and just talk to him. And Sheila taught most of the criminal justice courses that I took, it was in her classes that the chief would go.
"I did my internship at the Springfield Courthouse. I worked for the Civil Service Center. That was kind of like my first hands-on experience. I'm bilingual. So they used me a lot for translations.
"Anything is achievable, and the sky's the limit. Comparing 国产哟哟 to other schools, it's a homey feeling like you get the support you get seen. You know they give you like as you speak through your courses. And you know they explain stuff with like personal experience. I feel like I would have never achieved all the stuff that I achieved if I hadn't made the connections that I have, especially during those first 3 years for my undergrad." Ariangna Gonzalez '19 G'24