FBINAA Associate Magazine Q3.2021

Continued from "The Historian's Spotlight", on page 19

Cory McGookin ACADEMY UPDATE

phrase it here: a friend frommy police academy had been in the military prior to entering police work and was still a captain in the Army Reserves. After 9/11, she was called to active duty. I watched as she left her two young daughters behind to answer the call and serve her country. I decided that if she could do that, I could make a few short months apart work for me and my daughter as well. With an internal promise that I would take the red-eye flight back home to California every weekend if that’s what I needed to do, I would go through with the opportunity and attend the FBINA. In doing so, I learned more about my daughter than about myself. I learned that I had built her a network of loving family members and that she felt secure, safe, and loved, even in my absence. And when she came for a long stay during my session, I learned that the sight of her playing on the stairs by the library brought some pretty tough men to tears, thinking about how they missed their own children! And I don’t have to remember the connections I made almost twenty years ago, because I am still actively engaged with many of my classmates. I had the honor of appointing Max Santiago IACP parliamentarian a few months ago. When I go to New York, it’s always great to connect with Sean O’Connor and Bobby John- son ; I was texting with my two closest girlfriends frommy class yesterday wishing them a happy Mother’s Day; and as I prepare to travel internationally, I have been connecting with a classmate from Turkey. I was also very honored when, during my NA session, I was asked to chaperone the 6th Youth Leadership class through their Yellow Brick Road run. The few hours I spent with those teenagers back in 2003 taught me then that the greatest thing we can do is be part of that bridge to the future. Every hour we spend, every moment we invest, and every part that we contribute to these teens who are so hungry to be our best and brightest future is time well-spent."

F B I N A A . O R G | J U L Y / S E P T 2 0 2 1

W e have missed five NA sessions because of the pandemic. It has been rough on all of us and the light at the end of the tunnel for session 280 in October is what keeps us going. The session starting Oct 4th will be half the size (130) of our typical full session (267) but will be a very similar experience for those who attend. There will be slight differences because of the ongoing pandemic which I want to explain. The first explanation is why we are bringing in fewer students. We cannot maximize every bed on campus as we need a couple empty floors as an isolation/quarantine area to react to any COVID breakthroughs so we can continue operating. There simply are not enough beds to bring in a full session this fall. We assume that we will be able to return to a full session in January. We will be using the Jefferson dormitory rather than the Madison. The Jefferson has only single rooms which is helpful to us in case there is a COVID issue. Due to the total number of students being 130, we will break into four sections rather than the typical five. That puts the fitness class/homerooms at approximately 32 rather than the typical 52. The fitness instructors are looking forward to the slightly smaller classes that will allow for a more personal experience. We are bringing in 4 federal and 4 military which al - lows one per section. Travel restrictions have prevented us from inviting the international students who had planned to attend 280 but we have come up with a solution to our strong desire to have international representation in the session. We have found great candidates that are internationals temporarily living in the United States. These are law enforcement professionals stationed at their country’s embassies. We are happy to report we will be bringing in 4 of them. The class options are still varied with offerings in leadership, communication, behavioral sciences, and specialized courses. There are, obviously, fewer total classes offered but the mix of classes is what you would expect in a full session. As of today (mid-August), we have plans to include the enrichment activities and field trips that we typically have. The guest speakers are anx - ious to get back in front of the NA and share their passions. The staff and instructors are geared up and ready to make this a great session. I personally believe that it will be a uniquely awesome experience for those who attend, and it will meet or exceed the high expectations every NA candidate should have. October can’t get here fast enough.

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Stay Safe,

Cory McGookin Unit Chief, FBI National Academy

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