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Vanessa Rivera

Vanessa Rivera

Chicago Police Department

Chicago, IL USA

Career Roadmap

Vanessa's work combines: Law, Government, and Helping People

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Day In The Life

Sergeant

I help, support, and supervise about 30 police officers.

Skills & Education

Here's the path I took:

  • High School

    Lane Tech

  • Graduate Degree

    Criminal Justice

    DePaul

Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a Sergeant:

Graduate Degree: Criminal Justice

Learn more about different paths to this career

Life & Career Milestones

I've taken a lot of twists and turns

  • 1.

    First I had to do a lot of school and take many tests—including physical tests—just to become a police officer.

  • 2.

    Then I had to figure out if I would be able to do this with two kids and always having a new schedule and sleep schedule.

  • 3.

    Then I had to take many tests to get to my promotion and become a sergeant. It was very challenging and there was a lot of competition.

Defining Moments

How I responded to discouragement

  • THE NOISE

    Messages from Peers:

    The discouragement I heard was more from my peers and how I didn't feel like I got the support I needed or even protected from the people above.

  • How I responded:

    I've always dealt with this discouragement by always pushing through even though I knew it was not going to be easy. I've always tried to uphold myself to be the bigger and better person. At the end of the day, I am the one who is going to be succeeding.