MAURICE, LA. - A group of teenagers recently gathered at Tulane University for an experience that went beyond any typical summer youth program.
As they participated in the FBI’s Future Law Enforcement Youth Academy, the students engaged in leadership training, evidence analysis, and tactical drills.
The program, held last week, selected 32 youth from across Louisiana for its competitive week-long overnight academy. Among them was Gabriel Coleman, a 16-year-old from Maurice and one of the only participants representing Vermilion Parish.
“I was on the bus looking through my emails when I saw I got in,” Coleman said. “I screamed. I was so happy and ran back to my dad’s shop to tell him, ‘Oh my God, I got in.’”
The Future Law Enforcement Youth Academy is a free week-long overnight camp designed to expose students aged 15 to 17 to the practices of federal, state, and local law enforcement. It is a joint effort by the FBI New Orleans, the Tulane University Police Department, and the Louisiana Chapter of the FBI National Academy, aimed at promoting law enforcement career paths.
The program provides students with an inside look at various law enforcement practices and techniques through instruction from subject matter experts and agency instructors.
For Coleman, whose grandparents served in law enforcement, the opportunity represents a chance to realize his dream of wearing the badge one day.
“It means a lot to me because my grandpa and my step-grandma were both in law enforcement, and I really want to live up to what they did,” Coleman said.
During the academy, Coleman gained a new perspective on law enforcement and criminal behavior.
“Definitely a new perspective not only for police officers, but for criminals or people that just did wrong. People addicted to drugs— I used to think they were bad people, but they were just hooked on something from another bad person,” he reflected.
While appreciative of the training, Coleman admitted he won’t miss one particular aspect of the program: the early morning runs.
“This challenge coin was for running a mile every day. Getting up at 5 in the morning to do so,” he said with a laugh.
When asked if he still wakes up at 5 a.m., Coleman chuckled, “Not at all.”
