The past couple of years have been rough for police officers. Ever since the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO, police all over the country have been under a microscope and have been criticized for every single thing that they do. Now, were police departments finding bad cops and investigating more shootings? Absolutely. In every organization, there will always be good and bad people. Governments and police departments are cracking down, with some departments now being required to wear body cams or have dash cams, and more cases involving shootings being thoroughly investigated.

What am I getting at here? Well, despite all the negative media and general view of the police, I am not afraid to say that someday I would like to be involved in some type of law enforcement. Ever since I was a little kid, I have always dreamed of being in the military. When I took a career aptitude test in my sophomore year of high school, two of the top careers that matched with my interests included a police officer and the military. Law enforcement and military runs in my blood. My father was a classification officer at the Allegheny County Jail. Two of my paternal great uncles worked for the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police. My maternal grandfather was in the U.S. Army and served during the Korean War in the 1950s. I was trained in the martial arts by my father, who instilled discipline, self-control, and respect in me throughout my life. I operate best in a militaristic style of leadership and was raised with those values: "Yes sir," "No ma'am," "If you're not five minutes early, you're late," etc. To this day, I cannot stand when people in organizations do not listen to instructions (especially from the leaders or executives of the organization), talk out of turn, are disrespectful during meetings, and are not punctual. I get frustrated when people do not do these things, but I also remember that they were not raised the way I was, so I must be patient and understanding of them.

I am currently studying to receive my Doctor of Pharmacy degree. Notice how I didn't say I was studying to be a pharmacist? A successful pharmacist came to speak to my class, and he told us that our degrees don't say "Pharmacist," they say Pharmacy. That opened my eyes to the myriad of opportunities that the profession of pharmacy has to offer. PharmD's are needed everywhere, including the military. I have thought about going into military pharmacy or working for law enforcement with my degree. Criminal justice has always intrigued me and has been an interest of mine. I even took two courses in criminal justice systems in college: The Police and The Courts. I hope one day that I can incorporate my degree into my interest and not only serve the community by being a healthcare provider, but also protect the community by practicing my profession in law enforcement.