Student Experience: Bobby Carter

“When I was younger, although I took some college courses, I never could decide on a specialty to earn my degree. Once my life unfolded and took the direction of law enforcement, it made the decision easier. 

“What I like about my job is that it gives me the opportunity to be a strong presence for those individuals who can’t defend themselves and be a role model for juveniles. On duty, I’m either riding a DART train or in a squad car. The biggest challenge is considering how to deal with such a large volume of people, knowing key faces and sorting out the good from the bad – and especially detecting things as they develop. There’s a lot to watch: everybody doing everything. 

“I’ve had a fantastic experience in the Criminal Justice program at Cedar Valley; SaRita Stewart is an outstanding teacher. Even though I already had a related job, things here are in depth; the theories and terminology have helped me simplify some things on the job. 

“I went into law enforcement relatively late in life and realistically I don’t want to be patrolling the streets 10 to 15 years from now. I want to continue my education and teach someday, maybe even at Cedar Valley.

“Basically, nothing is impossible. I left North Carolina with everything I owned in the trunk of my car to join the Air Force. I began a new career after leaving the military and then was laid off for the first time in my life, but I got back on my feet. I spent nearly the whole year of 2004 at Baylor Hospital with late-stage bone marrow cancer, but here I am. Really, nothing is impossible.”

Bobby Carter has been a police officer for Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) since 2010 and is earning an associate degree in Criminal Justice at Cedar Valley. He was a personal mobility manager with the U.S. Air Force for six years, honorably discharged as sergeant and after military service served as a mortgage underwriter and communications officer in the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department.

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