Jose Velez, Criminal Justice Student

Unlike the paved, simple ride to class every day at NCC's Monroe campus, criminal justice student Jose Velez's path to success has included its share of bumps and detours. Velez's resilient attitude, however, has helped him to persevere and plan for a career where he can use his skills to help others.

The Kearny, New Jersey native had a difficult time with his first college experience, and meanwhile was dealing with the aftermath of a fracture to his spinal cord, intense surgery and rehabilitation. Velez had hoped to go into the military, but the injury prevented him from doing so. In 2009, he moved to Pennsylvania and decided that pursuing a degree in criminal justice was the next logical step back toward where he wanted to be.

"My father is a police officer, so he motivated me to pursue what I really wanted to do," explains Velez. "I have no regrets about the [injury] and the way that it turned out. Every semester here, I learn something new. I learn things that shock me, and that's a nice surprise because I thought I knew a lot about the field already and that it would be the other way around."

Among the things that have surprised Velez are that there are various levels of each different degree of murder, that the state of Pennsylvania can charge a person with aggravated assault even if they only have motive but never actually commit the physical act, and that there are more processes involved in making an arrest than what is portrayed on television crime shows.

"During my first semester here, Professor [Vertel] Martin told me that those shows don't even compare to what law enforcement is like in real life," says Velez. "It really opened my mind. Some of the classes have been intense, but I'm not complaining. I'm learning from it."

Velez, who next year is transferring to the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan, can see himself someday working in a big city where there are many people who need help from law enforcement. When he was in New York for orientation, he also visited a Navy ship and passed the physical test that will enable him to someday pursue a military career if he so chooses.

"Right after I finish my [4-year] degree, I might become a military officer so that I can get better experience handling problem situations, and see what it's like to be in a leadership role or a squad member," says Velez. "My goal in general, however, is to help others and show that there are people in this world who do good. If I can help just one person, and that person ends up helping another person as a result, I'll be happy because I'll know that I'm doing my job right."