Since childhood, Liliana Garcia dreamed of working in law enforcement.
While attending Dr. Kirk Lewis Career and Technical High School, she focused on another
interest, graduating in 2020 with a diploma and a structural welding certificate. She then pursued
work at refineries, but when the pandemic botched those plans, she started college
instead.
“I thought to myself, ‘Who's working right now? Law enforcement and medical,” Garcia
said. “I started off my degree plan wanting to major in forensic science. But after taking
a biology class, I realized that wasn't for me.”
Seeing is believing
Garcia got just the nudge she needed after witnessing officers chase an armed suspect,
make an arrest, and secure a crime scene near her home.
“Right after that happened, I told my mom, ‘I'm going to be a police officer,’ and
I changed my degree that same night,” Garcia said.
San Jacinto College was a natural choice for Garcia. Her sister, the first in their
family to attend college, enrolled there, and Garcia had heard great things about the College’s criminal
justice program.
Shaping the future
“San Jac instructors, especially Mr. [John] White and Dr. [Robyn] Ring, prepared me
for the real world by always keeping it as realistic as possible,” Garcia said. “I started
with mostly online classes because of COVID. The second year is when I took the use
of force and traffic classes in person. We learned about techniques for arresting
people and used the simulator.”
She enjoyed training scenarios like how to pull someone over during a traffic stop
and how to handle the situation if the person refuses to cooperate.
Garcia graduated in fall 2022 with an associate degree in criminal justice. She graduated
from the police academy in December 2023 and was officially a sworn-in police officer the
next month.
“A lot of people think it's really easy graduating and getting hired right away,”
Garcia said. “Well, it's a long process, and sometimes you have to apply for different jobs to
get your foot in the door.”
Garcia first applied for a dispatcher position at a local police department and was
not hired. The same thing happened with another precinct. Discouraged, she started
to doubt whether she’d made the right career choice.
Fate intervened
In February 2024, Garcia submitted an application to the Pasadena Independent School
District. By March, a Pasadena ISD police sergeant contacted her for an interview, stating he
was very impressed by her cover letter.
“This ties back to San Jac,” Garcia said. “Dr. Ring always said be professional, try to
stand out, and be as unique as possible. I remembered that when writing my cover letter,
and sure enough, it landed me an interview.”
Garcia currently works as a patrol officer for the Pasadena ISD Police Department.
“I'm considered a rover unit, and I respond to a wide range of calls across the entire district,” she said. “I also conduct campus walkthroughs and
occasionally work traffic and pull people over for speeding in the school zone.”
Garcia has built relationships with students and staff across the district.
“I had a student who walked off an intermediate school campus, and it turned out she
just needed somebody to listen to her,” Garcia said. “She was having family issues and broke
down crying. I just let her talk and was there for her.”
Making a difference matters most
Garcia was awarded the Dr. Rod Paige Award after she and another officer intervened
to help a student having a mental health crisis. She was also recognized for her prompt
response to a shooting near Pasadena Memorial High School.
The Pasadena ISD Police Department named Garcia the 2025 Officer of the Year, making
her the youngest to ever receive the honor.
While she was delighted and surprised to achieve this so early in her career, her
priority will always be helping others.
“What I enjoy the most is the idea that these are our future generations,” Garcia
said. “If I can positively impact just one kid today and one kid tomorrow, maybe it
will pay off and motivate these kids to be successful.”
Surrounded by monuments of history, evolving industries, maritime enterprises of today,
and the space age of tomorrow, San Jacinto College has served the people of East Harris
County, Texas, since 1961. The College is ranked second in the nation among more than
1,100 community colleges, as designated by the Aspen Institute and was named an Achieving
the Dream Leader College of Distinction in 2020 and 2026. As a Hispanic-Serving Institution
that spans five campuses, plus an online college, San Jacinto College serves approximately
45,000 credit and non-credit students annually. It offers more than 200 degrees and
certificates across eight major areas of study that put students on a path to transfer
to four-year institutions or enter the workforce. The College is fiscally sound, holding
bond ratings of AA+ by Standard & Poor’s and Aa2 by Moody’s. San Jacinto College is
accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
