A New Passion to Serve

I was 11 when the Twin Towers fell.

At that age, I did not fully comprehend the gravity of the situation, and I did not know who Osama Bin Laden was or even what terrorism was. However, growing up in the “homeland security generation,” I became accustomed to these things being a part of my life. They were the reason airport security was tighter, they were the reason the news showed soldiers marching in the desert, they were an unfortunate aspect of my life and the lives of my peers to a point that we can hardly remember the way things were before. For my generation, the passion to serve our country has roots in the changed world we grew up in; where threats to homeland security were an ever-present source of fear and uncertainty.

When I was younger, like many of my peers, I knew I wanted to be involved in politics or government. However, for me, the desire to serve my Government had taken on a new meaning. The development of the homeland security community has given me an opportunity to serve my country, my neighborhood, and my family more directly. Fortunately, I have had a number of opportunities to pursue my passion for homeland security during my years in college in DC, culminating in my current job as an intern at Arc Aspicio. Working to assist the homeland security infrastructure of the United States allows me to make the monster of terrorism less frightening for generations after me. I am able to work in environments where the real returns on my labor are seen in the newspaper as thwarted terror plots, seizures of illegal cargo, and quick responses to natural disasters. The people who work in homeland security are the unseen Samaritans of our country, the existence of which a vast majority of the U.S. public is unaware of. The choice to work in homeland security is a choice to participate in a network of guardian angels that selflessly ensure the nation’s security for the nation’s sake.

My passion for homeland security stems from a desire to protect my country and ensure peace of mind for my fellow Americans. I want to help create a nation where my children will not need to hear about terrorism on the news. I want to help create a nation confident in its Government’s ability to respond to environmental and paramilitary threats. I want to help create a nation where every citizen can sleep at night without the fear and uncertainty of the post-9/11 world.