Thank you to the Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office for this opportunity!
Being exposed to career opportunities in high school helps students better understand how their strengths and interests can inform their post-secondary plans.
So, when the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office approached the district about a senior internship program, high school administrators knew there would be interest. Students from across the county applied, and of the applicants, there were three selected from Turner High School: Princess Horton, Keila Guillermo, and Reinaldo Mora-Fuentes.
This cadet program was a paid opportunity for second semester seniors who participated in the internship during the school day. The cadets traveled to the Sheriff’s Office where they split their time between a classroom, the courthouse, and the jail.
Deputy Devin Baird, who oversaw the cadet program, shared because of time constraints and safety concerns, there were certain aspects of the job they were unable to show the cadets, but they were still able to learn much of what a deputy applicant would be taught.
“The cadets learn a variety of things - policies and procedures, handcuffing and searches, CPR, and how to use a tourniquet,” said Baird.
Keila Guillermo said seeing how law enforcement really works up close was quite a contrast to what is shown on television, “there were a lot of differences.” She felt that the experience was life changing, and it reinforced her desire to join the police department and ultimately become an FBI agent.
When asked about the program, Sheriff Soptic shared that it came to be through a desire to engage with youth in the community who were interested in a career in public safety. “This program creates opportunities for youth to start their career at a much younger age and allows for them to gain experiences that would be helpful even if they decide a different career path later."
Reinaldo Mora-Fuentes, who will be attending Wichita State University to study Forensic Science, felt that the program was great for numerous reasons. He shared that something he did not expect to learn was how to negotiate with someone. “That is something that is not just used a lot in criminal justice but also is an everyday skill for dealing with people who are around you.”
All three students felt that the program was beneficial and established a solid foundation and understanding as they pursue careers in criminal justice and law enforcement. For them, a main takeaway was how each day in law enforcement is different, and so proper training and preparation is essential.
When asked what he hoped for these students by the time they were done with the program, Baird shared, “that they have a much better understanding of what exactly the Sheriff’s Office does, what a typical day is like for a deputy, and that they learned something new. We hope it gets them, or keeps them, excited to stay in the law enforcement career field.”
For these students, that was accomplished, and Turner High School looks forward to continuing this partnership.
“Law enforcement, like all public safety jobs, is a very honorable profession to work in. I’m proud to be a part of that,” said Baird.
Kauffman Foundation Grant to Create Additional Real World Learning Opportunities
The cadet program with the Sheriff’s Office is a great example of a real world learning opportunity. Because of a grant from the Kauffman Foundation, USD 202 is looking forward to providing more opportunities for our students to have opportunities like internships, apprenticeships, career shadowing, and client connected projects.
The Real World Learning Implementation Grant for $330,000 is to be distributed over a three year period. In addition to the grant allowing for more resources, it covers funds for the district's Real World Learning Coordinator position. This is a new role and will be held by Dr. Frankie Lizar as part of her role as Journey School of Choice Principal.
We are grateful for this grant and look forward to the real world learning experiences we are able to create and facilitate for our students!
You can expect to learn more as the 24 - 25 school year gets underway.