Posted on 05/21/2007 8:16:03 AM PDT by fgoodwin
Explorer hopes Scout experience fuels career as federal agent
http://bgdailynews.com/articles/2007/05/16/features/features2.txt
http://tinyurl.com/yst7ut
Last modified: Wednesday, May 16, 2007 11:22 AM CDT
By NATALIE JORDAN, The Daily News, njordan@bgdailynews.com/783-3243
Andria Vansickle is planning to make a name for herself in the world of law enforcement.
Vansickle, 20, is one of 300 selected from more than 2,000 applicants to attend the FBI Leadership Academy, a program through the Boy Scouts of America Explorers.
“I sent the application off in February after finishing it in January. I had to write an essay about what law enforcement meant to me and get letters of reference,” she said. “It was late March when I heard back that I was accepted. Oh my God, I was so excited. This was the second time I applied for it because the first time, I didn't get in. It's been my dream to work with the FBI. My goal is to be an FBI agent.”
Leaving June 30 and returning July 7, she will travel to the nation's capital and Quantico, Va., during the academy.
“I don't know all that is planned for us,” she said, “but I think it will be very useful to what I plan to do in life.”
The Paducah native said she's been in the Boy Scouts Explorers for quite some time. She said she became interested in becoming an FBI agent at 15, when she found that a good friend was involved.
“When you're 15, communicating through MSN Messenger was like the coolest thing to do. It was the hottest thing out there, and if you weren't (on it), you weren't cool. Well, (my friend) had posted (on Messenger) about learning more about law enforcement.”
After going through the logistics of where to go and what to do, Vansickle said she went to a meeting.
“And I was hooked,” she said. “And when an actual FBI agent came to speak (while she was still in high school), that's when I made up my mind I wanted to be an agent.”
Vansickle joined the Explorers when she came to Western Kentucky University. As a captain of the WKU Explorers, she said she has weekly meetings and mostly works between 8 p.m. and 1 a.m. doing building checks and escorts.
Vansickle came to Bowling Green to attend Western, and is seeking a double major in accounting and sociology with a minor in criminology. She will be a junior in the fall.
She said she wants to bring both aspects of her degree to the law enforcement field, and believes the classes she's taking help.
“A lot of sociology classes deal with the law enforcement aspects,” she said. “It explains ... what you will come across, so when you become a police officer and you're responding to calls ... you'll be prepared.”
Although Vansickle said she has other interests, including playing basketball, cooking and playing with her 17-month-old daughter, her goal is to be an FBI agent.
“I've always been interested in law enforcement, and in high school we had electives, and I loved accounting,” she said. “A lot of people hated accounting, but for some reason I loved it, so I want to take what I know about law enforcement and accounting to the FBI. I want to do white collar crimes, like catch people like Martha Stewart.”
Vansickle said her parents are proud of her. She said she is a first generation college-goer, and being accepted into the academy is icing on the cake. She said, however, next year she won't be able to apply to the leadership academy because she'll be 21. She said the Boy Scouts of America Explorers go from 15 to 20 years old, but you can't become a law enforcement officer until you're 21.
“I'm going to become an officer first. To become an agent, you have to have skills and experience in a specialized field,” she said. “I like law enforcement, so I want to bring that in first and my accounting second.
“I'm looking forward to becoming an officer. I like being an Explorer, but I can't wait to go to the academy, and come back and become an officer.”
Please ping your Scouting list.
Very interesting! My daughter is interested in law enforcement and the military, and this is another approach for her to consider, as well as ROTC.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.