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Victor Valley College celebrates 19 criminal justice graduates
The Victor Valley College Criminal Justice Department held two academy graduations on Thursday night, celebrating the accomplishments of 19 students who've committed to "protect and serve" in their chosen careers.
Ten students made up the 72nd class of VVC's Law Enforcement Module II, while the 42nd class of Module III comprised nine students. Students who successfully complete the second level modulated course earn a certificate of career preparation, which is certified by the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training.
The following students completed Module II, for which the course title is Criminal Justice (CJ) 81: David Cabrera, Christina Gonzalez-Castro, Lupita Gomez, Danny Levy, Vincent Marquez, Juan Meza, Brandon Miller, Maria Orozco, Shawn Ruiz and Brent Sargenti.
These students have completed two semesters of academy training culminating with Thursday's graduation. They were commended for attending these "essentially classified" training programs amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to VVC Director of Criminal Justice Rand Padgett. The programs met face-to-face, adjusting regular coursework and practices to follow required health protocol, including social distancing.
Receiving certificate awards for the top academic honors were Maria Orozco and Brent Sargenti who both had "stellar performances" in their studies, Padgett said. Receiving the director's award for outstanding trainee was Christina Gonzalez-Castro.
"Christina reflects all of the qualities wished for in a law enforcement officer: honest, true, faithful, hard-working, friendly, kind, firm and committed to doing the right thing for the right reasons," Padgett said.
The following students completed Module III, or CJ 80: Michael Arellano, Paulina Arellano, Michael Franco, Christa Hazelwood, Louis Lujan, Yessenia Morales, Edmon Muradyan, Emmanyuil Popudrebko and Kimberly Zaragoza.
Academic awards were given to Kimberly Zaragoza and Paulina Arellano, while the director's award went to Edmon Muradyan.
"Edmon is a shining example of commitment, dedication, loyalty and honor to his chosen profession," Padgett said.
Criminal justice faculty commended the graduates for their tenacity shown this year, noting that all of them work jobs and many have families they care for while balancing coursework.
Along with the basics of law enforcement, the college's program aims to instill important values in all of its criminal justice students, Padgett said.
"They learn how to communicate with all types of people under pressure and gain all the skills needed to be a police officer," he said. "We teach them to be worthy of public trust."
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