Spring 2012 Scholarship Award

Out To Protect is thrilled to announce the award of a scholarship to Mr. Anthony Morgado of Fairfield, California.  Mr. Morgado will graduate from the Napa Valley College Police Academy on Saturday, June 9, 2012.  As you will read in his biography below, he came out for the first as a gay man during the police academy  and was embraced by his fellow cadets with a standing ovation.  He completed his community policing project on the LGBT youth community and helped everyone in his class to gain a better understanding of how to serve the greater LGBT community.  The academy staff praised Mr. Morgado for his strong character, amazing interpersonal skills, and personal courage.
I have dreamed of being a police officer since I was a little boy.  I was ten years old when my parents took me to San Francisco for the first time. It was during that trip that I saw an SFPD officer and ever since that time I have wanted to become a police officer.   I started my career in law enforcement at the age of 13 as a police cadet.  I was the youngest police cadet in Fairfield Police Department history. At 18, I started to get involved with Solano county Sheriffs Department thanks to a close family friend.  I optained a certificate of Criminal Justice from Solano community college and then immediately enrolled in the Napa Valley College Police Academy. During my time at the Police Academy, I came out as a gay man for the first time in my life. The support I received from my fellow cadets after coming out made academy life much less stressful.  My goals after the academy is to work for Solano County Sheriff’s Department and then return to school to earn a BA Degree.