Discover Our Students’ Experiences Through Their Own Words: Rodolfo (Rudy) Salas

“I’m earning my associate degree because I think it will help me get my foot in the door and move toward my dream career as a firefighter. Although at one time I wanted to be an auto technician, I began to want to be a firefighter about two years ago.

“I want to help out the community; I have a big heart, and I want to help people out. All of my life, I’ve helped my brother, who has cerebral palsy, and it’s just a way of life for me. “Alvin Samples helps me out in class; he makes the subject matter exciting, and he’s a really good teacher.

In my Fire Protection classes, I’ve learned a lot about how fire administration works — the chain of command — and it’s really exciting.

“What would I like to be doing career-wise in five to 10 years? I want to have finished my associate degree, gone to the Fire Academy and be working as a firefighter. Who knows — maybe someday I could even become a fire marshal.” Rudy Salas has graduated from the Fire Protection Technology program.

Giovanna Salazar

Dallas College student and hopeful future border patrol officer

“I like that my professors don’t just have academic knowledge but have a working background in all different fields. It brings more interest to our classes and we get to have a much better idea of what we’ll be up against in the future in our careers.”

Criminal Justice

Gerrye Anderson

Campus Police Officer Eastfield

“If you’re interested in police work, I’d recommend the Criminal Justice Training Center and Criminal Justice degree program. They’re going to make sure you’ve got the background to go out and get a good job.”

Criminal Justice

Ellie Pope

Legal Secretary Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program

“I would definitely recommend El Centro’s Paralegal program. The outlook for becoming a paralegal is very bright — there are so many options and ways to go.”

Paralegal