With a background in sales, Allie DuBose may not have been the typical Galveston College Law Enforcement Academy cadet candidate, but nine months after being accepted into the academy, she recently graduated as valedictorian of the GC LEA Cadet Class #36N.

 

“This is my first time in law enforcement, but the Law Enforcement Academy here at Galveston College is awesome,” said DuBose, a Texas City resident. “I’ve learned so much and I’ve grown a lot, I love it here. My goal is to reserve for a department somewhere to get my feet wet and move up from there.”

 

DuBose was surprised to learn she was the valedictorian and was humbled by the honor.

 

“It’s a good feeling,” said DuBose. “A lot of my fellow cadets have done pretty well so it’s nice to be honored this way.”

 

One of the cadets DuBose alluded to is Top Gun recipient Skyler Chapman, who was recognized for his excellence on the firing range.

 

“I wasn’t expecting to get it, but it’s always good to receive things you don’t know about,” said Chapman. “It was a long process. We had two weeks on the gun range of non-stop, constant drills, practice shooting and pulling out our firearms, getting comfortable with the mechanisms and processes of how they work. We also took a couple of tests on shotguns and pistols.”

 

Chapman, originally from Florida, moved to Texas after his father moved to the area in 2015. He joined the Sheriff’s Office in 2019 as a jailer in Inmate Services, where he works 12-hour shifts on a 19-man crew which serves 1,000 inmates on a daily basis.

 

He decided to join GC’s LEA to help him take the next step in his career while balancing a full-time job and a family.

 

“It was a great experience. It’s a long nine months, but it’s well worth every bit of it,” said Chapman. “You have new experiences every day. If you’re not learning something then you’re not learning anything at all, that’s the way I was taught. The director and instructors are very forthcoming when it comes to learning. They want to teach you as much as possible, but they also want to make sure you understand it.”

 

DuBose and Chapman were joined by fellow cadets Arty Aleman and Connor Dunn during the graduation ceremony of the GC LEA Cadet Class #36N in the college’s Abe & Annie Seibel Wing.

 

During the ceremony, keynote speaker Maj. Ray Nolen of the Galveston County Sheriff’s Department provided words of wisdom and encouragement to the graduating cadets and their friends and families in the audience prior to the presentation of the special awards and certificates.

 

For more information about the Galveston College Law Enforcement Academy, visit https://gc.edu/academic-career-programs/public-services-business-industry/criminal-justice-law-enforcement.php, call 409-944-1263, or email [email protected].

 

ABOUT GALVESTON COLLEGE

Galveston College was founded in 1967 and is a comprehensive community college providing the residents of Galveston Island and the surrounding region with academic, workforce development, continuing education and community service programs.