"But you're a girl..."

"Aren't you a little small to be a cop?"

"You couldn't hurt a fly!"

These are just a few of the responses I usually get when I tell people I'm a Criminal Justice major. I am all too familiar with the constant looks of concern and disapproval and being doubted and second-guessed. I get it, trust me.

Growing up, I always had this belief that girls were always supposed to look pretty and have careers that were mediocre, and we definitely were not supposed to be police officers. It was only a few years ago that I learned differently.

I knew I wanted to be a police officer when I realized I was meant to help others, not sit at a desk for the rest of my life. I want to see things that some people live their whole lives wanting to see.

I want to be that person who is there when you are at your lowest, and I knew how hard I was going to have to work for this. The criminal justice field has always been a pretty rough environment for females, and that is no secret.

In my own experience in classes, I have been one of only three to four girls in a class of up to 20 people. Most often, on the first day of class everyone thinks you're a Social Work major.

And when you tell them you're planning to go into law enforcement, they look at you like you've lost your mind. But, us three or four women kick ass.

So yes you're right, I am a girl. A girl who knows what she wants and will do whatever it takes to get it. Even if it means constantly being doubted, or looked at as "weak."

I am a girl who is proud of who I am, and who I am yet to be.