While Angela Garcia worked in the front office as a department assistant with Douglas County Adult Parole and Probation, she was intrigued by the Parole Officers (PO) and their responsibilities. “I enjoyed working with people and thought, “maybe becoming a Parole Officer is the route I want to go, but I was also considering police work,” Angela said. She was encouraged by her supervisor at the time to try the Police Reserve Academy (PRA) and to see if being a police officer was a career path that she would enjoy.
Angela enrolled in the Police Reserve Academy (PRA) and started taking classes in Criminal Justice at UCC with the plan to achieve her associate degree. She graduated from the PRA in just one year and, while working as a police reserve, was presented with an opportunity to apply and be promoted to Parole and Probation Officer within the Department.
“I did the PRA, and it just opened up doors for me,” Angela said. “During my promotion process as Parole Officer, I made a promise with the department that I was going to finish out those degrees.”
While being a single mother and working full time, the flexible schedule at UCC made balancing a challenging schedule possible. “I had the ability to attend night courses, work full time, and raise my kids,” she said.
“UCC was the stepping stone and pivotal moment that launched me to where I am now. I developed relationships with many officers of all areas of law enforcement disciplines in this community that made a huge difference and encouraged me in my career path.”
Angela earned her associate degree in Criminal Justice from UCC but didn’t stop there. She became the first student to join Southern Oregon University’s online degree program, which allowed her to remain in Roseburg and complete her bachelor’s degree in criminology three years later.
After a few years into her career as an Adult Parole and Probation Officer, Angela quickly learned that many community members don’t understand what a Parole Officer is and the duties that come with the job. Angela shared, “We supervise offenders who have been sentenced to probation by the court and adults who have been released from prison on parole, and we assess the offenders’ risk to re-offend, their criminal risk factors and social support needs, then we coordinate services to help them obtain treatment, housing, or other supportive services to facilitate re-entry into the community.”
Angela has now excelled in her career from having a caseload of adults under supervision and has made her way to becoming a Parole and Probation Officer Supervisor. “I’ve always had a passion for supervising, coaching, and mentoring in this community. My years as a basketball coach and as a PO helped shape this passion as a part of my personal life, and so a supervisor role was a perfect next step for my profession as well.”
“UCC is a very friendly and diverse campus that just feels like home. Attending UCC was a wonderful experience that made me feel proud of my choices.”
