Reply to Class Intro

Instructions: Please respond to the following students. Every two students have a different amount of minimal words.

 Responses should be a minimum of 200 words and include direct questions.

Student #1 intro

Hi Class,

         In regards to why I am taking this specific course, I have to. This is one of the last courses I need to take here at AMU, I tried very hard to have it waived but there was no other choice.  Considering this is one of the five classes I am currently enrolled in as well as the fact I have been an online student for over a year, I see this class as something that just needs to get done. I have already been doing class work for here AMU as well as other on-line colleges for years… While one may say this course is a waste of time and money for someone who has been attending like I have I see it as a small object that just needs to be completed.  Once this class is completed I will have all my core classes done and most of the major requirements will also be completed.

Outside of that I am Ray Hinojosa, I am 28 years old and I live in Phoenix, Arizona. My educational plans include earning my BA in Homeland Security; I currently possess my AA in Criminal Justice but wish to have a BA in Homeland Security. At first I was considering getting a BA in Criminal Justice but after comparing the two different degrees Homeland security appeared to offer more options of employment and simply, more exciting. As far as employment, I am employed by the DOJ as a Federal Correctional Officer. I have been a corrections officer for several years, this is an exciting field to work in but if one wishes to advance to the administration side of the Bureau a BA degree would be needed.

                Earning a BA would open “doors” and opportunities for me such as administration positions including but not limited to:  Unit Managers, Case Managers, federal Probation and Parole Officers and Counselor positions. All of those positons sound exciting to be a part of and work in but a BA is required all of those type of opportunities.  So in conclusion, my goal is to earn a BA for employment advancement and as stated prior it will open more doors of opportunity. 

Student #2 intro

Hello Class,

My name is Bryce Hallstrom.  I am an Aircraft Structural Maintenance Craftsman in the USAF by trade and have been for the last 10 years (actually just hit the 10 year mark yesterday).  In November I was picked to go over to the Quality Assurance section where I’ll be until the end of my tour (March 2019).  I’ve been fortunate enough to have some nice assignments during my time in the Air Force.  So far I’ve been stationed in Japan, Korea, the United Kingdom, and currently in beautiful Hawaii.  As an aircraft maintainer I’ve also had the opportunity of going TDY to numerous places such as Croatia and Malaysia.  I have a couple deployments under my belt such as Balad AB, Iraq for Operation IRAQI FREEDOM in 2008-2009 and Al Udeid AB, Qatar back in July(ish) ’15-late January ’16 in support of Operations INHERENT RESOLVE and FREEDOM SENTINEL.

Currently it is just me and my dog living at home.  About a year after I arrived here in Hawaii I decided it was time to put down some roots and buy myself a house.  So that’s what I did.  On NYE 2014, I closed on my very first home here on the island of Oahu.  I think it was a wise decision and I plan to hang on to it once I PCS from here as the housing market here is insane!  In my free time I like to get out and enjoy the awesome outdoors scene there is here in Hawaii!  Additionally, being from Minnesota, I like to keep up to date with both my Vikings and Wild as well with Minnesota Golden Gophers hockey!

I just completed my second English course last month which was the last class I needed to complete my CCAF degree.  So as soon as they get my transcript and get everything updated, I’ll have my Associates Degree in Aviation MX.  I think it was good timing to take that class when I did as I feel it will help me prepare to get in the mindset to tackle this one.  Unlike the English class I just completed as it was sort of a little bit of everything, I think that I’ll be able to obtain a more focused knowledge and direction on how writing is expected to be accomplished in this career field.  My overall goal is to obtain my Bachelor’s degree in Homeland Security before I decide to retire from the military (if they’ll let me stay that long).  At that point, I would like to pursue something related to this field working with the federal government if at all possible.

I look forward to working with you all in this class and wish you the best of luck!

Responses should be a minimum of 150 words and include direct questions.

Student #3 intro

Hello Everyone,

My name is Kevin Moriarty and I am majoring in Homeland Security. I had gotten an associates in intelligence operations back in 2015. I also just completed a bachelors degree in Intelligence Studies in mid may. This is my first term working on the new degree.  I spent some time in the Army but that was cut short due to a shoulder injury.  That meant the best option for me was to move back home to Vermont in order to complete my bachelors degree.  I don’t have a wife or any children as I decided to put those aspects on hold until I can complete my degree.

            My hobbies include sports and movies, even though I cant really play the same sports that I use to.  I grew up play hockey and enjoying the winter, which worked well living in Vermont.  But the older I get, the more I find myself being annoyed by all of the snow.

            My goals for work are to get a job at the federal level.  I am very intrigued by the idea of working for Homeland Security. The only issue is that all of the jobs that I am really interested in require a bachelors degree.  So at the time I am working part time doing personal care while I apply and search for jobs.

Student #4 intro

My name is Darnel Chestnut and I have been in the Army for 17 years and my current MOS is 74D which is Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Specialist. I am currently married and we will be celebrating 13 years this year and we have 3 incredible children; 2 Boys and 1 girl. I am stationed at Fort Stewart GA as a Company First Sergeant.

My goal is to finish my Counter Terrorism degree and get a job in Homeland Defense in Atlanta GA. I always told myself that I wanted to be greater than what I came in the Army. It has been a nice adventure and I don’t regret it at all but I do have an end date like any other soldier. I choose this degree program because I have a passion in wanting to keep this country safe; I think this is one step closer in accomplishing my dream.

I hope to have a better concept on learning the roles, strategies and vulnerabilities of the Homeland Security. I believe learning the basic will help set the tone for future classes and set the foundation of my next job.

I enjoy spending time with my family and playing with my kids outdoors. I also own a photography business and I have been doing that for the past 3 years. I also plan to take it one step further in buying my own studio. My oldest son enjoys photography and my daughter. I’m hoping and praying that maybe one day I can pass it down to them.

Thank you and I look forward in communicating with everyone throughout this course.

Responses should be a minimum of 250 words and include direct questions.

Student #5 intro

Hello Class,

                My name is Robert Peters, but feel free to call me Bobby.  I am currently working in Kabul, Afghanistan as a contractor for the Department of State.  Over the past two years, I have been providing logistic support to the United States Embassy and other Chief of Mission locations.  When I am not overseas, Jacksonville, North Carolina is where I call home.  Spending the last two years in Kabul has really opened my eyes and has shown me how fortunate I am to live in a country like the United States.  I am married and have two children; one son (five years old) and one daughter (three years old).  When I am not working or in school, I spend as much time as I can with my family.  Some of my other hobbies include: hunting and fishing, shooting, sports, and the occasional video game.  One important thing to note about me is that I am a crazed University of Michigan fan.  My week can live on die by the results of the weekend’s football game, GO BLUE!

I am currently pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Homeland security.  If all goes to plan, I will complete my degree at the end of March 2018.  Once I have completed the coursework for my degree, I will either look in to going back to school to pursue a dual Master’s in Homeland Security and Emergency and Disaster Management or try to obtain a job with the Department of Homeland Security, other federal agencies, or my local sheriff’s department.  My plans are not set in stone but one thing that I know for sure is once I have my degree, I will be going home for good.

As for taking this class, it is one of the required classes for my degree.  Not only is it required, but border and coastal security is something that I am very interested in learning about because of the importance that it holds in protecting this nation.  One of the most debated and polarized topics in the country right now is immigration policies/border security.  Having a better understand of this field is important to me and my potential career path.

Student #6 intro

Hello everyone my name is Freddie Valenzuela, I’m in the Army and am currently stationed at wonderful Ft. Huachuca in the sunny state of Arizona. I am at the tail end of my career, I just reached 20 years in the Army this last February, and just put in my retirement paperwork for a June 2018 retirement date. I am currently working on a BA in Homeland Security.

Why Homeland Security? I plan on joining a law enforcement agency and staying here in AZ, possibly go into/or eventually go into DHS. Either way I think the courses in the HS degree program are far more interesting than a standard Criminal Justice program. I also believe since AZ is a border state and the current threats of terrorism throughout the USA, that the curriculum would more useful.

I claim California as home, but I grew up all over the world (Army Brat). At 20+ years in the Army I have had the gambit of assignments. I originally came in as Infantry, but soon reclassed to become an Army Musician. I spent almost 13 years stationed overseas. Love everything outdoors! I also train in several martial arts and am big into MMA. I really enjoy distance running and have run over 30 marathons, and tons of other races. I am currently recovering from my 2nd Ankle Ligament, and have just began to be able to get some distance runs in. It is a bummer not being able to go the distances or pace I was before, but I’ll get back to it soon enough. Never been married, have no kids, but I do have two pugs (who think they are kids). I also volunteer for a dog rescue here in Arizona.

 Responses should be a minimum of 250 words and include direct questions. 

Student #7 intro

My name is Doug Wilson.  I live in the Inland Northwest.  I was an Apache Pilot and Warrant Officer in the U.S. Army for six years.  I am currently creating a homestead with my family on an off-grid property in the mountains.   We just had our first child, a little girl, a few weeks ago.  This is my first experience with online learning.  I have a Bachelors Degree in Cell and Molecular Biology from  the University of Hawaii which I attended prior to entering the army.  I am pursuing a degree in Homeland Security.  I would like to secure a position in a federal agency focused on domestic security.  The most rewarding part of my time in the army was providing overwatch and preventing catastrophes before they occurred.  Like so many others who do this, I learned that you look for patterns and disruptions in those patterns, one of these things is not like the other.  In theatre I spent the vast majority of my time burning holes in the sky and observing the local populace go about their day and looking for that one person or group who was trying to kill people, destroy property, and cause chaos.  There was often a short period of atypical behavior by the bad actors followed by an abrupt and violent execution of their plan.  Stopping those bad actors before they had a chance to execute that plan was extremely rewarding and I look forward to learning  how to do that on many other levels.  After reading some of the intros from the other students I am excited to hear many other perspectives on the subject.

Student #8 intro

My name is Sheheir and my degree at this university is Intelligence. I am taking this course as a sub course for the history of intelligence, which is needed to graduate. Upon completion of this class I will officially have my B.A and go on to the University of Arizona for graduate school.

I have spent 8 years in the military, and after completing the last 2 years as a single parent, I realized government work interfered with the type of parent I wanted to be. Therefore, I will not be using my degree for any three letter agency or intelligence work. Instead, I am an online personal trainer and I also work locally in a gym a few days week. I plan to grow my online training business, and when finished with grad school, I plan to also work remotely as an business intelligence analyst.

As for hobbies, you can imagine as a personal trainer, student, and single parent that I don't really have the opportunity to do the things I like to do. Believe it or not, studying intelligence is the hobby for me. I am also getting 2 other fitness certifications to become an athletic trainer, since my boss needed more trainers specialized in that area. I also like to compete in NPC bodybuilding bikini shows, but unfortunately I don't have the money to step on stage this weekend as planned.

Oh, and don't like the fitness resume deceive you-I also love baking, and not with any of that healthy sub stuff. I love cakes, donuts, and shaved ice with ice cream!

Hope everyone has a great class experience. I look forward to learning from everyone.

Looking at the objectives, it appears that I have learned everything we are about to cover so I'm hoping to learn something new. One thing I'm looking forward to is red teaming, which is a lot of fun but can be difficult if we are going to work solo.