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| From left, Curtis Dowdle, Dean of the Public Safety Training Center in Macon County, is listening while Ronald Reese of Signal Mountain, Tenn. is giving a speech. |
Pledging their utmost dedication and respect to this nation’s natural resources, 17 graduates from Southwestern Community College’s National Park Service - Park Ranger Law Enforcement Academy (NPS-PRLEA) program walked across the stage on Friday, Dec. 6 at the Public Safety Training Center in Macon County.
One of the most diverse groups to ever come through the program, graduating class 103 is made up of siblings, members of the military, a retired engineer, a former police chief and more.
Although they come from different walks of life, they are all connected by their passion, work ethic and leadership abilities.
Ronald Reese, a 73-year-old native of Signal Mountain, Tenn., is a retired metallurgical engineer who had no prior law enforcement experience but has always been inspired by his great-grandfather who was a police officer.
“It’s something I’ve always been interested in, and I’ve seen so many negative things happening in the world and in our culture lately,” said Reese. “I wanted to see what it was like for myself, and I felt like I needed the challenge in my life.”
For Reese, the program was more challenging than he could have ever imagined.
“You have to grit your teeth, bite your lip and go on,” said Reese. “I can think of several times where I’ve been on my back, flat on the ground and pinned down by another trainee, among many other things. But, when I wake up in the morning, I feel good about everything I’ve done.”
The program, which requires more than 700 hours of training, including being pepper sprayed, tasered and physically restrained, is extremely rigorous and thorough in preparing future law enforcement for real-world experiences.
Despite the many challenges, Reese said the program and its instructors have made a truly positive impact on his life.
“It’s changed me for the better. I’ve found a new appreciation for this field. The instructors are phenomenal. Their passion, talent and experience are incredible, and they are the reason this academy is as strong as it is.”
Reese isn’t the only one who came to the program after retiring from another career.
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| Graduates from class 103 of SCC’s NPS-PRLEA program are front row, from left: Joseph Kraft of Greenback, Tenn., Arthur Droheim (Cheshire, Conn.), Hunter Honeycutt (Park City, Ky.), John Driver (Williamstown, Mass.) and Sai Nakama (Brooklyn, N.Y.). Middle row, from left: Ronald Reese (Signal Mountain, Tenn.), Collin McEneaney (Annapolis, Md.), Savannah Hall (Luray, Va.), Rachel Hellwig (Atlanta, Ga.), Evan Bush (Rockingham, Va.), Brian Waters (Ochopee, Fla.) and Mitch Boudrot, Law Enforcement Training Program Director. Back row, from left: Instructor Don Coleman, Luke McHale (Fredericksburg, Va.), Matthew Goetz (La Grange, Oh.), Drew Koschny (State College, Pa.), Robert Hayes (Commerce, Ga.), Robert Cooper (Kure Beach, N.C.) and Tyler Hall (Luray, Va.). |
Robert Cooper joined the program after serving as the Chief of Police for Kure Beach in New Hanover County for 20 years.
“I’ve had a great, rewarding career in law enforcement, but I wanted to do something different,” said Cooper. “I’ve always been interested in the outdoors, hiking and fishing, so when my friend who lives in Sylva told me about the program, I thought it might be the perfect fit for me.”
Even though Cooper has a strong background in law enforcement, he admits the program was very mentally and physically challenging. Like Reese, he credits the program’s quality to the instructors.
“The instructors are world-class and extremely passionate,” said Cooper. “They are so involved every step of the way, and they give everyone the attention or help that they need to succeed and make it to the end.”
Booth Reese and Cooper plan to pursue seasonal positions with the National Park Service (NPS) in the near future.
Others in the program have always known that they wanted a career with the NPS.
Rachel Hellwig, who grew up in Atlanta, Ga., remembers spending her childhood summers with her father at a cabin in Canada, always fishing and enjoying the outdoors.
Hellwig graduated from Georgia Southern University with a degree in wildlife recreation before starting as an intern with the NPS in Alaska.
From there, she took a position working with the Grand Canyon National Park, followed by a position at Fort Benning, Ga., where she led high-adrenaline recreation activities for ex-military members looking to reacclimate to civilian life.
“I’ve known for a long time that a career in park service is what I want, and I’ve worked in some amazing NPS locations,” said Hellwig. “I joined the Academy because I also wanted to learn the law enforcement side of the field, and this is a really great program.”
Hellwig says one of her favorite parts of the program was the wide variety of people that students were exposed to, such as park rangers, forest service officials, local law enforcement, university law enforcement and more.
After getting married in February, Hellwig plans to head west with her now-fiance who will be stationed in Oklahoma. She hopes to pursue a position in search-and-rescue law enforcement.
“We are extremely proud of class 103,” said Instructor Don Coleman. “They came together as a team, worked hard and persevered through the challenges of the Academy. We wish them well in their futures.”
The next NPS-PRLEA program will run from Jan. 6 to May 4 at SCC’s Public Safety Training Center in Macon County.
For more information on the program or how to apply, please contact Coleman at 828.306.7055 or d_coleman@southwesterncc.edu.
