First Collegiate Academy gets college students ready for career at FBI
Apr. 7—CLARKSBURG — The first Collegiate Academy, held at the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services Division, gave college students the opportunity to learn about employment opportunities on Thursday.
The academy hosted 46 students from West Virginia University to participate in a day-long program in which they toured the CJIS campus and took part in hands-on demonstrations.
Deputy Assistant Director Brian Griffith said the goal of the academy is to get students interested enough to apply and begin a career at the FBI. He also said they hope to expand the program to other universities in and surrounding West Virginia.
"We brought kids that are pursuing a career in national security in and gave them an opportunity to learn about us. ... And I am unapologetic about the fact that this is one big recruiting fair. We would love for everyone of the college students that are here to say, 'I want to apply, I want to work for the FBI,'" Griffith said.
The idea for the Collegiate Academy grew out of a conversation at the second Security Review Dinner. SecureWV Program Coordinator and WVU grad student Frank Kerekes said they talked about the idea a bit more in December and prepared to offer the academy in the spring. The CJIS Campus already hosts a Teen Academy for high school students and a Citizens Academy for adults interested in a career at the FBI. They wanted to expand to offer a similar program to college students, so they started at WVU.
Kerekes, who attended the academy Thursday, said he liked the student engagement aspect best.
"My favorite part is seeing the students engaged with employers. ... I love seeing students who are being able to build a network, add things to their resume, and just get connected. I feel that when you're involved outside of just your classroom space — whether it's one thing or 20 things — just doing something outside the classroom really sets you apart from other students," Kerekes said.
Throughout the day, students learned about the National Criminal Background Check System, the National Threat Operations Section and Center which is the receiving end of 1-800-CALLFBI, their 'Next Generation Identification,' or biometrics used for identification and investigative purposes and the entire FBI — not just the CJIS division.
As a West Virginia native, Griffith said he's excited to show students the opportunities available in the state.
"I'm really excited because, being a local kid, I left the community in 1985 and didn't think there would be anything that could bring me back. To get to a point in my career, where I have an opportunity to come back to North Central West Virginia and not only have a very promising and productive career here, but to try to grow that opportunity for others. Yeah, this is what I'm all about," Griffith said.
Griffith also added that the CJIS Division has been transformed over the past decade from being known just for fingerprinting to doing essential work he sees all over the news. Devices and assets the CJIS Division has on the Southern border of the United States, gun control and regulation and artificial intelligence are some of the topics he said come to mind.
"I can't watch the national news without seeing the work that we do here portrayed and I'm not just talking about the FBI, I'm talking about the actual work in this building. The gun debate I mean, it's just raging right now, especially following the shooting in Nashville.
"Everybody's talking about what kind of controls. CJIS Division is absolutely the frontline on that. Lately, artificial intelligence is in the news. The role that we play in making sure that our technology is managed and does advantage us is key because the CJIS Division is the largest IT footprint in one place in the FBI.
"I want to make sure that others who might consider a career in the government or in the FBI understand that, just about anything they think they might want to do, there's a job here," Griffith said.
Reach me at sshriver@timeswv.com or 304-367-2549.
