For Caroline Guay, a senior from Columbus, Ohio studying criminal justice, The University of Akron (UA) has helped to set her career path in motion.
Since Guay was young, she has known she wanted to be involved in law enforcement. Her interest started in elementary school and was strengthened when she was introduced to safety patrol and Drug Resistance Abuse Education (DARE), a program that provides children with an opportunity to learn and practice good decision-making skills to lead safe and healthy lives.
“I had a mentor in elementary school, and he eventually enrolled me in the DARE program and got me started in safety patrol,” said Guay. “Safety Patrol allowed me to safely escort kindergartens across streets, to their classes, and back. I absolutely loved it, and from then on, I knew I wanted to join law enforcement.”
As she entered middle school, her passion for law enforcement grew, and so did a new interest. “I started to love the K9 unit, and since then, I have always wanted to become a K9 police officer,” said Guay.
The right choice
When the time came for her to choose a university, she began touring schools hoping to find a criminal justice program that would allow her passions to flourish, but more importantly, would be a place she could call home. But after touring multiple institutions, no schools yielded such results, until Guay’s sister suggested she tour UA. After visiting, Guay knew UA was the perfect match.
“After visiting UA, I knew it was the one. They offered a variety of scholarships which I was ecstatic about applying for. Also, UA’s criminal justice program is great, and the campus is just the right size. But most importantly, it just felt like home,” she said.
During Guay’s time at UA, she has built meaningful relationships with professors, who encouraged her to search for possible internships. One was David Licate, department chair, and criminal justice professor, who acted as a role model and a source for networking with employers. Licate would later help Guay find her current Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) internship.
“Professor Licate is constantly encouraging us to search for internships. He also has a large network of employers under his belt and can inform us if any internships are open,” said Guay. “Once he brought in a speaker and she mentioned the OSHP and their internships. I may not have received my internship if it wasn't for the speaker.”
An internship to remember
When Guay began her internship, she was shocked by how much she interacted with each department. Learning new skills, she never imagined – such as flying with aviation (helicopters tracking car chases and suspects running from police) – while applying skills she learned in the classroom.
“I did so many things on a day-to-day basis, shadowing multiple officers in different departments, such as the aviation unit and highway patrol. Shadowing aviation was one of my favorites. Getting to learn such new things has been an amazing experience! But seeing and applying what I have learned in the classroom has been awesome,” said Guay.
Along with learning new skills and applying current ones, a supportive work environment is just as important, especially for women in law enforcement, who make up less that 13% of full-time police officers in the United States.”
“Being a woman in law enforcement is very different, you must put in a lot more work. But OSHP has been so accepting of me and many others of differing races, religions, genders and sexual orientations,” said Guay. “They also treat me like a professional, like one of their full-time co-workers; they don't treat me like a student.”
A Clear Path
As Guay prepares to graduate and say her goodbyes, she is not saying goodbye to OSHP. She plans on continuing her internship while she waits to enter the Trooper Academy – an intense program with a rigid training schedule designed to educate and prepare incoming trainees for OSHP.
“After I graduate, I will continue to have my internship with OSHP for about 6 months until I enter the trooper academy,” said Guay. “During those 6 months, I will be considered a trooper at OSHP and be treated the same as the other troopers with some limitations.”
“When I first started at UA, I did not know I had the opportunity to get right into what I wanted to right out of college. But thanks to some amazing professors at UA, I was able to get my internship and a future full-time job at OSHP. Akron has helped me get one step closer to fulfilling my dream of becoming a K9 police officer,” said Guay.
Story by Beau Balizet
Media Contact: Cristine Boyd cboyd@uakron.edu; 330-972-6476