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Success Stories at Terra

MICHAEL WALTER—
1995 Police Science Graduate

Like many Terra graduates, Michael Walter of Fremont has returned to the campus as an adjunct instructor. It’s a way for him to share his education, his profession and his expertise with a new generation of criminal justice students.

“I had a very enjoyable educational experience at Terra and so coming back here to teach is a way of giving back,” said Walter, a trooper with the Ohio State Highway Patrol. “All of my instructors were very knowledgeable and prepared me well for the field, and I want to do that for the Terra students now.”

Walter graduated in 1985 from Fremont Ross High School but didn’t enroll at Terra until eight years later. He graduated in 1995 with an Associate of Applied Science in Police Science.

“By earning my associate’s degree, I was prepared to take that knowledge into the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s academy and later into the field,” he said.

As a trooper for the past six years, Walter’s duties have included traffic enforcement and traffic crash investigation. He serves as a field training officer, background investigator and technical crash investigator.

Walter was named Fremont Post Trooper of the Year in 2001 and has won the Safe Driving Award and Health and Physical Fitness Awards in 2001 and 2003.

His advice for potential law enforcement students?

“Law enforcement is a competitive field, and it’s challenging to get hired on by a department,” he said. “Be persistent because your goals and dreams can happen.”