Since childhood, junior Matthew Victoria has always wanted to make a difference. His love of community and fascination with the field of law enforcement led him to form a goal of one day joining the police force and helping to save lives.

As a stepping stone to help him achieve this goal, Victoria joined an after school program that would help to propel him towards achieving his goal.

Victoria graduated on Dec. 12 from a course at the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Teen Police Academy after undergoing eight weeks of training.

The Teen Police Academy is a program in which sheriffs and resource officers teach teens about the various facets of a career in law enforcement. Students undergo training similar to an actual police academy, but in a much less rigorous environment. The academy receives about 40 applicants a year and then culls the list to about 22 students who actually get to take the course. This process is done by analyzing the different responses each student writes on the application regarding why they would like to enter law enforcement.

“They teach us different laws, handcuffing, what to do in certain calls and how to immerse ourselves in public to show that we are there to help,” Victoria said.

Courses were also taught in a classroom, spanning everything from drug and DUI arrest procedures to water rescues and SWAT team procedure. However, his favorite activity was riding alongside an officer who was on shift and getting first-hand experience.

By graduating from this academy, Victoria is set up to join a program called Youth Cadets. Once Youth Cadets graduate at the age of 22, they can apply to be law enforcement officers. The program also gave Victoria insight into the requirements for the law enforcement field.

Despite the time commitment required by the academy — once a week for three hours — Victoria did not feel that his other extracurriculars or academics were impacted at all.

“It just took time out of the day to do homework,” Victoria said. “Still, I managed to do it all.”

While he was inspired by the sheriff’s deputies running the program, Victoria’s favorite part was meeting new people with the same career interests.

“I highly recommend this program to anyone, even if you are not interested in law enforcement,” Victoria said. “It is still a great thing to be a part of and enjoy.”