Notes
Welcome to all of the new cadets and welcome back to all of the returning cadets! For those of you who do not know me, my name is Hope Gatto and I am cadet captain of the youth academy. Before we meet on the 25th, I just ask that ALL cadets please text me with your name. If you are a new cadet, completed Sgt. Lapp's assignment and for some reason did not receive a private message from me via Teampages please message me and I will give you my number. To all returning cadets, I ask that you all please text me as well confirming your number because I had a few issues with my phone this summer. Thanks so much and I can’t wait to start the new year! See you all on the 25th!
Hey everyone, my name is Justyn Angel. I live with my mom, sister, and little brother. I am an 8th grader at Garfield Middle school. I am on the school soccer team and I do boxing. I went to mexico for awhile to visit my dad and while I was over there I started thinking about in becoming a somebody,become famous, I want to be known for something good so I thought about in becoming a boxer. This is my first year in the Youth Leadership Academy and I am really looking forward to it, I hope in this academy I can accomplish a lot of things and help me a little in what I want to become. I know at first its going to be a challenge but I know ill make it through, I never give up and thats one thing everyone should do. Life is full of challenges but hey thats how it is, we got to face them. Im thankful for this opportunity and I can't wait to meet you all. See you on the 25th.
Hey everyone, my name is Wilson Ramos. I am a Freshmen at Lodi High school. My main hobby is playing soccer. I played for traveling but since I decided to play for the high school I can not be in both. I made it to the varsity team for LHS. After soccer I want to join other sports/clubs as well. My main priority it's my academics. This is my first year joining the Youth Leadership Academy. I'm excited to try something new and get educated by it. Hopefully it's what I imagine. I know I will get challenge but excited to be apart of it. I joined the Youth Leadership Academy because I want to learn more things that involve law enforcement. I also want to learn how I can help my community out and make me a better leader. I want to thank Sergeant Lapp for giving me the opportunity to join the Academy. I am looking forward to meeting all of you.
Hi everyone, my name is Jessie Wells. I am now a sophomore in Emerson Jr Sr High School. I am on varsity tennis and play in my school band. I attended the Bergen County Youth Police Academy this summer and I really enjoyed it. I joined the Leadership Academy because I want to learn more about law enforcement and how to become a good leader. My favorite thing in the Youth Academy was going to the U.S. Air Marshals. I especially liked the obstacle course with the U.S. Marines. Even though I am not the biggest fan of PT, I am excited to start this academy. I would like to thank the officers in charge of the Youth Academy for pushing me to achieve my goals and support me throughout those two weeks. I can't wait to see everyone at our first meeting!
Hey everybody, my name is Jacob Galiano and I am a junior in high school who currently lives in Saddle Brook. My previous nickname when I was participating in the two week Bergen County Youth Academy, was Joker. During this time I was assigned to the 3rd squad in which I was the second in our line. I am, as previously stated, a junior at Bergen Catholic in Oradell, NJ. I am shocked to discover that I enjoy the physical and educational aspects provided by the officers that helped me within that two week period. I enjoy water sports, video games, and self-teaching in my own spare time. One of the main reasons that I am engaged in this program is to continue the experience and education of law enforcement through the lectures and activities we partake in. I am ashamed to say that I do not play any sports right now, but I am proud to say that the reason is primarily because I want to focus on academics. Each and everyday I remember the Youth Academy and thank the effort put forth by all the officers who supported me. It has made me a better person and I want to continue the experience with this.
About me- To tell you a little about how I got to where I am today, when I was fourteen years old, I knew I wanted to have a career in law enforcement. So, at the age of fifteen, I joined my town’s volunteer ambulance corps and became an Emergency Medical Technician. I did this so that I could serve my community along with getting a firsthand look at the emergency response field. This was the first step into my law enforcement journey. At the age of eighteen, I applied for a 911 dispatcher position at my local police department, and I was hired on my nineteenth birthday. Then, in April of 2005, at the age of twenty-one, I achieved my goal. I was hired by the Sheriff's Office. I have worked for this office for the past eleven years. Within that time, I have served many different positions. I am the officer in charge of the Youth Leadership Academy, as well as a member of the Sheriff Emergency Response Team (SERT), a gang liaison, a certified personal trainer, an Emergency Medical Technician, and I am also certified in the methods of instruction. I was assigned to the jail for the first three years of my career. I was then assigned to the Community Release Center. This unit is in charge of enforcing child support, and alimony. We are also in charge of home confinement and the county road crew. I was assigned to this unit for five years. Then, two years ago I was promoted to the rank of Sergeant. I was then assigned to the midnight shift as a supervisor inside the Bergen County Jail. I took this opportunity to return to school to further my education. I am a student at Farleigh Dickenson University, and I am two classes away from obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Science specializing in Public Administration. I am a husband and a father to two amazing boys, and I have a daughter due to meet the world this October.
“You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” - Zig Zagler
“Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender. That is strength” – Mahatma Gandhi
Hello!My name is Maria Balan. I was born in Hackensack but, raised in Garfield. I am a sophomore at Immaculate Conception High school, in Lodi. I am on the swim team. I attended the Youth Police Academy this summer. I had an amazing experience. I really enjoyed going to the Air Marshals. I'm looking forward to starting Youth Leadership Academy. Can't wait to meet all of you and start PT!
Hello everyone, my name is Beth Stewart and I live in Saddle Brook. I am currently a senior at Immaculate Conception High School in Lodi. At Immaculate Conception, I am on both the varsity cross country and track teams and am on the yearbook staff. I am apart of this program because I had an amazing experience at the Youth Police Academy. I enjoyed learning more about law enforcement and enjoyed the vigorous PT sessions. I look forward to the Leadership Academy and I can't wait to meet all of you this year.
Hi everyone! My name is Helen, and I am currently a sophomore at Bergen County Academies. I was born in England, but I moved to the U.S. when I was eight years old. I’ve been playing piano since I was five, doing art since I was seven, and my other hobbies include fashion designing and swimming. Another thing I like to do is to watch dance videos and attempt to learn the routine. I first heard about this program from my friend’s recommendation of the summer Youth Police Academy. The rigorous training part of the Academy would help me get in shape and might even make me a better swimmer. Also, I would be offered the opportunity to have a hands-on learning experience about law enforcement, which is something I have always wanted to do. I understand that I will face challenges, but that will help me make better decisions and become a better leader. Ultimately, I hope that I will grow as a person through this academy. I look forward to meeting everyone!
Hey everyone, I’m Isha Slavin and I will be a cadet in the 2015-16 Youth Leadership Academy. I go to the Glen Rock High School, and am currently a sophomore. My twin brother Avi goes to Bergen Academies, but he’s not in this program. Some hobbies of mine are tennis (I play for my school), piano, and I guess writing. This summer, I was in the Youth Police Academy which was probably the greatest experience of my life, because in just two weeks of vigorous training, my mile time improved by almost 2 and a half minutes! I am a part of this academy for two reasons. First, I only play like one sport and I’m definitely not in the best shape at the moment, so I am hoping to get that back through PT and running a few times a week on my own time. Second, I am trying to genuinely become a better person. My bro and I are constantly fighting, so maybe this academy can teach me or guide me in becoming a leader in the situation and stepping away. Also, in school, I can be a leader and help the rest of my peers if we work on a group project or even if they just need help with something personal too. Overall, I feel as though this academy can really help me be a better person to my friends, family, and everyone else, and I look forward to getting to know all of you in the next ten months!
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