Academic and Personal Experience

¶ … move from a movie! my gymnastics coach told me, his eyes agape. "That was a mean tumbling pass!" I blushed. It had been a long time goal for me to become a police officer so that I would be able to apply my physical strength to a challenging career. While I always loved playing and watching sports like football and baseball, I didn't see professional athletics in my future.

And while I enjoyed and excelled at the sciences in high school enough to make lab work my chosen major, I also didn't want to delve into hard science as a potential future career. I realized quite a long time ago that working for the police force would enable me to combine my talents and strengths while helping others and contributing something to my community. Furthermore, as a native New Yorker, my desire to be a cop is made all the stronger by the admittedly romantic lure of the NYPD.

However, getting a job with the NYPD wasn't as easy as filling out a fast-food restaurant application. Since graduating from high school I have worked in several different sectors, from retail to assisting an independent contractor in the construction industry. I consider my work experience as enriching as academics, but before I launch full force into a career in law enforcement, however, I need and want to complete my undergraduate education. Therefore, I am applying to Empire State College for self-improvement as well as for career advancement.

That compliment I received from my coach in high school echoed through my head last week when I received a call from the NYPD. I would be able to start in January of 2005. I could barely contain my joy when I received the news. With my newfound enthusiasm and with the realization that.