Al Orozco

My hero is not only a hero to me, but a hero to his friends, family, and community members. Growing up in a city like Lennox, California can be very difficult. It is basically living a life around drugs, gangs, and the fear of going into your front yard. Most people, in this case, would ask themselves "why can't I be safe?" My hero asked himself "what can I do to make this community safe?"

My hero is my uncle, Sergeant Al Orozco. He has gone through many experiences such as fighting for the U.S Military to being an off duty officer in the middle of an unprotected robbery. His past has affected his decisions to protect the community.

As a young boy, movies were his inspiration to protect the community. Seeing the good guys beat the bad guys made him have hope for possible security in society. The movie that impacted his life the most was the 1988 movie "Colors". "Colors" portrayed all the problems that he saw the community faced. That was the moment he knew he wanted to serve and protect.

But having a goal doesn't make it come true. It takes hard work and education to prepare. Especially to be a police officer, you need to have the mind set, physical ability, and education to work the job. You can't just sign up and expect to sit in a patrol car eating donuts. Without education, you become nothing.

Education seems to be the easiest part of the job. "At first the best part of the job was driving fast, and feeling an adrenaline rush but now [he's] just happy to come home". As a good leader you have to be able to control a situation when things get out of hand, that's what I've learned. You have to be a good listener and have good judge of character. My hero has taught me many lessons but one that has come to be the most important is that "you have to learn how to deal with grudges and fix a conflict before it's too late". Life is too short to expect second chances. Stand up and make a change to your community, just like my hero did.