A woman that cares and takes action on a daily basis, a woman that surpasses the opinion of others, to not let others or herself hold her down, to make a change as small as it is to the world, to show genuine love to others, to live a life not in fear or stress, to break stereotypes that are set at birth, to work in a field that men dominate, and lastly never to live her life as a lie be true and open being a genuine person.

Hi, let me introduce myself; my name is Briana Birk; I am a Cardinal Newman high school graduate. As of recently, I plan to attend the University of California Irvine this coming fall semester. I was excited to see that I was offered a spot in their general biology department and would get a bachelor's degree while double majoring in criminology or criminal justice. As of now, my career goals have been set to become a federal agent, work in forensics, or do any job in law enforcement. I am familiar with law enforcement as my parents have worked in the field. However, as a child from a law enforcement family, I have constantly immersed myself in a jail's monotone, sterile environment and its different elements. I've encountered inmates in and out of the jail as they have grown close with my Father, a correctional deputy. I have met countless patrol offers, who all acquire this lively and comical humor and many investigation unit members I met in the main headquarters where my Mother worked as a Human Resources Director. Law enforcement will all be part of my life, even when people may think of the police as violent, cold-hearted, and pensive. People look at police officers and take the "human" aspect away from them. Growing up with parents involved with law enforcement kept me grounded and astute. It has taught me to have empathy for people and to be callous when needed. They have shaped me into who I am today. Through this exposure, I decided to attend several sheriff youth academies over the summer through high school. I worked/volunteered hands-on in the field I enjoy and further understand what I may get myself into one day. With a new perspective from getting to know the field and building my own opinion, I want to bring that to other people to show that we are more than patrol officers or people that are believed to fight violence with more violence. We are here to promote and show safety, justice, equality, and support for those in need. I intend to promote a better understanding of what law enforcement does. When I was younger, in a crowded classroom or gym, representatives from different careers or companies taught us CPR, how drugs harm you, what peer pressure is, and mental health. I want to be one of those role models and present to the younger generation who the media have easily influenced and manipulated. As a Hispanic woman, I want to explain how law enforcement is diverse and accepting. It is not filled with cold, scary men that ignore you; that is what my sister believed when seeing my dad. Law enforcement is a place where you seek protection or help in any situation; they are there to guide you to the right path and the answers you are trying to find. It's a community that is there to help protect and support other communities in need.

As a child from a law enforcement family, I never thought of strangers as a danger but as new people to interact with. I have constantly immersed myself in a jail's monotone, sterile environment and its different elements. I've encountered inmates in and out of the prison as they have grown close with my Father, a correctional deputy. I have met countless patrol offers, who all acquire this lively and comical humor and many investigation unit members I met in the main headquarters where my Mother worked as a Human Resources Director. Law enforcement will all be part of my life, even when people may think of the police as violent, cold-hearted, and pensive. People look at police officers and take the "human" aspect away from them. Growing up with parents involved with law enforcement kept me grounded and astute. I will never be a victim because I wasn't allowed to have that mentality. It has taught me to have empathy for people and to be callous when needed. They have shaped me into who I am today. As I grew older, I wanted to dive deeper into what happens behind the scenes than have the civilian perspective regarding law enforcement. That is why I have been attending our local sheriff's academy for the youth over the summer. The program is two to three weeks during the summers allowing teens like myself to learn about the responsibilities and functions of different branches of law enforcement. With a new perspective from getting to know the field and building my own opinion, I want to bring that to other people to show that we are more than patrol officers or people believed to fight violence with more violence. We are here to promote and show safety, justice, equality, and support for those in need. I intend to promote a better understanding of what law enforcement does. When I was younger, in a crowded classroom or gym, representatives from different careers or companies taught us CPR, how drugs harm you, what peer pressure is, and mental health. I want to be one of those role models and present to the younger generation who the media have easily influenced and manipulated and teach them a better picture of what law enforcement does. As a Hispanic woman, I want to explain how law enforcement is diverse and accepting. It's a community that is there to help protect and support other communities in need. Furthermore, with this degree, I could use my knowledge and time to volunteer with local organizations that assist needy people, such as food banks or homeless shelters. I would also consider working with law enforcement agencies to improve community policing efforts and help build trust between law enforcement and the community. I could also work directly with people in need, such as a social worker or victim advocate.

Hi, let me introduce myself; my name is Briana Birk; I am a current high school senior at Cardinal Newman high school. I will graduate three months from now and aspire to go to UC Irvine, where I have recently been admitted. I was excited to see that I was offered a spot in their general biology department and would get a bachelor's degree while double majoring in criminology or criminal justice. As of now, my career goals have been set to become a federal agent, work in forensics, or do any job in law enforcement. I am familiar with law enforcement as my parents have worked there. However, as a child from a law enforcement family, I have constantly immersed myself in a jail's monotone, sterile environment and its different elements. I've encountered inmates in and out of the jail as they have grown close with my Father, a correctional deputy. I have met countless patrol offers, who all acquire this lively and comical humor, and many investigation unit members I met in the main headquarters where my Mother worked as a Human Resources Director. Law enforcement will all be part of my life, even when people may think of the police as violent, cold-hearted, and pensive. People look at police officers and take the "human" aspect away from them. Growing up with parents involved with law enforcement kept me grounded and astute. It has taught me to have empathy for people and to be callous when needed. They have shaped me into who I am today. Through this exposure, I decided to attend several sheriff youth academies over the summer through high school. I worked/volunteered hands-on in the field I enjoy and further understand what I may get myself into one day. With a new perspective from getting to know the field and building my own opinion, I want to bring that to my community to show that we are more than patrol officers or people that are believed to fight violence with more violence. We are here to promote and show safety, justice, equality, and support for those in need. I intend to promote a better understanding of what law enforcement does. When I was younger, in a crowded classroom or gym, representatives from different careers or companies taught us CPR, how drugs harm you, what peer pressure is, and mental health. I want to be one of those role models and present to the younger generation who the media have easily influenced and manipulated and teach them a better picture of what law enforcement does. As a Hispanic woman, I want to explain how law enforcement is diverse and accepting. It is not filled with cold, scary men that purposefully intimidate you; that is what my sister believed when seeing my dad's co-workers. Law enforcement is a place where you seek protection or help in any situation; they are there to guide you to the right path and the answers you are trying to find. It's a community that is there to help protect and support other communities in need. That is why I want to follow this career path and show an impact with this choice of mine.

Hi, let me introduce myself; my name is Briana Birk; I am a current high school senior at Cardinal Newman high school. I will graduate three months from now and aspire to go to UC Irvine, where I have recently been admitted. I was excited to see that I was offered a spot in their general biology department and would get a bachelor's degree while double majoring in criminology or criminal justice. As of now, my career goals have been set to become a federal agent, work in forensics, or do any job in law enforcement. I am familiar with law enforcement as my parents have worked there. However, as a child from a law enforcement family, I have constantly immersed myself in a jail's monotone, sterile environment and its different elements. I've encountered inmates in and out of the prison as they have grown close with my Father, a correctional deputy. I have met countless patrol offers, who all acquire this lively and comical humor and many investigation unit members I met in the main headquarters where my Mother worked as a Human Resources Director. Law enforcement will all be part of my life, even when people may think of the police as violent, cold-hearted, and pensive. People look at police officers and take the "human" aspect away from them. Growing up with parents involved with law enforcement kept me grounded and astute. It has taught me to have empathy for people and to be callous when needed. They have shaped me into who I am today. Through this exposure, I decided to attend several sheriff youth academies over the summer through high school. I worked/volunteered hands-on in the field I enjoy and further understand what I may get myself into one day. With a new perspective from getting to know the field and building my own opinion, I want to bring that to other people to show that we are more than patrol officers or people believed to fight violence with more violence. We are here to promote and show safety, justice, equality, and support for those in need. I intend to promote a better understanding of what law enforcement does. When I was younger, in a crowded classroom or gym, representatives from different careers or companies taught us CPR, how drugs harm you, what peer pressure is, and mental health. I want to be one of those role models and present to the younger generation who the media have easily influenced and manipulated and teach them a better picture of what law enforcement does. As a Hispanic woman, I want to explain how law enforcement is diverse and accepting. It's a community that is there to help protect and support other communities in need. Furthermore, with this degree, I could use my knowledge and time to volunteer with local organizations that assist needy people, such as food banks or homeless shelters. I would also consider working with law enforcement agencies to improve community policing efforts and help build trust between law enforcement and the community. I could also work directly with people in need, such as a social worker or victim advocate.

When watching the news, I always see events worldwide and assume that they never would happen to me. People talk about how moments of their life flash before their eyes and how their life can be taken from them in a matter of seconds, and I would never assume that would happen in my lifetime. But in 2017, when California was experiencing its worst drought in history, several fires throughout northern California affected my home. I remember waking up at 2 AM to my dad's coworkers banging on our door and telling us to get out as that Tubbs fire crawled over the Mark West Ridge from Calistoga where it all stared. I didn't know what to grab. All I could think about was my homework, sketchbooks, sentimental clothes, and nothing more. I've never seen my parents more frantic in their lives as my sister was crying, and I was managing to get my dog into our car as the smoke infiltrated into my lungs, triggering an asthma attack that would never go away until the smoke did. The next three weeks were very rough. In my opinion, the actual fire wasn't the traumatic part. It was the aftermath. I never honestly cried at the loss of my house, unlike my parents, who replayed in their heads what they should've done differently of what all they'd lost in their 25 years of marriage gone and for me, I was only 14, so I had nothing too sentimental that I felt has been lost, which made me think of my life as lesser compared to my parents. It made me feel empty. It's a lesson about how the same event can affect people differently and how you understand how other people grieve. Never assume what a person is going through, as I am the only friend out of my friend group that lost their house in the fire. They never truly understood what my family had gone through. They thought it was easy for you to rebuild when a home is lost, but it's far more different. Just think about losing your baby photos you'll never see again, as you were born in early 2000 when phones just hit the market, or my parent's wedding books that they only had one copy of, or my grandfather's messages that my dad collected over the military career all to be lost just like my grandfather of cancer. Or videos my parents have taken of us that could never be found again. It's more than just a home; a home can be rebuilt. The memories cannot.

Hi, let me introduce myself; my name is Briana Birk; I am a current high school senior at Cardinal Newman high school. I will graduate three months from now and aspire to go to UC Irvine, where I have recently been admitted. I was excited to see that I was offered a spot in their general biology department and would get a bachelor's degree while double majoring in criminology or criminal justice. As of now, my career goals have been set to become a federal agent, work in forensics, or do any job in law enforcement. I am familiar with law enforcement as my parents have worked there. However, as a child from a law enforcement family, I have constantly immersed myself in a jail's monotone, sterile environment and its different elements. I've encountered inmates in and out of the jail as they have grown close with my Father, a correctional deputy. I have met countless patrol offers, who all acquire this lively and comical humor, and many investigation unit members I met in the main headquarters where my Mother worked as a Human Resources Director. Law enforcement will all be part of my life, even when people may think of the police as violent, cold-hearted, and pensive. People look at police officers and take the "human" aspect away from them. Growing up with parents involved with law enforcement kept me grounded and astute. It has taught me to have empathy for people and to be callous when needed. They have shaped me into who I am today. Through this exposure, I decided to attend several sheriff youth academies over the summer through high school. I worked/volunteered hands-on in the field I enjoy and further understand what I may get myself into one day. With a new perspective from getting to know the field and building my own opinion, I want to bring that to other people to show that we are more than patrol officers or people that are believed to fight violence with more violence. We are here to promote and show safety, justice, equality, and support for those in need. I intend to promote a better understanding of what law enforcement does. When I was younger, in a crowded classroom or gym, representatives from different careers or companies taught us CPR, how drugs harm you, what peer pressure is, and mental health. I want to be one of those role models and present to the younger generation who the media have easily influenced and manipulated and teach them a better picture of what law enforcement does. As a Hispanic woman, I want to explain how law enforcement is diverse and accepting. It is not filled with cold, scary men that purposefully intimidate you; that is what my sister believed when seeing my dad's co-workers. Law enforcement is a place where you seek protection or help in any situation; they are there to guide you to the right path and the answers you are trying to find. It's a community that is there to help protect and support other communities in need. That is why I want to follow this career path and show an impact with this choice of mine.

Define feminism in your own words and explain why it is important. To me feminism is not just about advocating for women’s’ equality, but it is about support and eradicating the label and prejudice of being a woman in a male dominated society. My parents made it a point to never put me in a box or become a stereotype. I was taught to be strong, smart, and able. I am blinded by the gender stigma in my close surrounds but as I navigate myself into the bigger world, I see the disparity and inequality applied to sexes and the need for activism. Who is an Inspirational person to you and how have they impacted your view on feminism. My mother has shaped my views on feminism through her work and experience. She works in human resources and recruiting for law enforcement. She has first had knowledge of stigmas, pay disparity and the day-to-day struggles women face in male dominated careers. She does not consider herself to be a feminist, as she does not like to be labeled. She believes in equality for all and tries to look at things objectively. When I do visit her at work it is nice to see more woman as sworn officers. She says things are changing for the better but is some fields it works a lot slower for stereotypes to be eradicated. Recently, several high-ranking female promotions took place paving the way for more to follow. My mom did not become the President of United States nor is she some high-power figurehead with global authority but she did find a way to advocate for change and influence me in the process. How are you contributing to the feminist movement in your community or school? I decided early on that I wanted to get into the field of Forensic Science within the field of Law Enforcement. In my research I realized that I would be navigating my way through a male dominated career. I completed several community service programs and volunteer work in law enforcement and saw firsthand the gender stigmas that are applied within this line of work. I want to advocate for change by leading by example. I want little girls to look up as see that this chosen line of work is an option and opportunity and not hindered by one’s gender. I know I may face some obstacles and will need to overcome some harsh realities on my journey but I am not looking for easy if I want to elicit change.