Aarionna Powell Class of 2014
Interview by Aneara Burns. Photo courtesy of Aarionna Powell.
Collegiate is known for shaping students into self-sufficient young adults and making sure they are ready to take on whatever college throws at them. If anyone knows about independence, it’s Aarionna Powell. I had the opportunity to speak with her about her college experience and her career.
Aneara: What college did you attend and what was your major?
Aarionna: I went to North Carolina A&T State University, and I graduated in 2018 with a Bachelors of Science in Criminal Justice.
Aneara: What was college life like for you?
Aarionna: College life was really, really fun. I would say it was kind of a breeze for me. I didn't really go through too many obstacles. I feel like I was prepared, I was always an independent person. My high school basically shaped me and instilled independence in me. So, I feel like my college experience was really a breeze. I didn't really go through any struggles. I succeeded in almost every aspect of my college life, and I did everything on my own. I didn't really have any help. I had a mentor that I talked to here and there, but as far as just getting through everything on my own, I did everything on my own and it was pretty easy.
Aneara: Tell me about your career path.
Aarionna: So, going into college, I already knew what my major was going to be. My freshman year, I knew I was going to major in criminal justice, but my focus was going to law school. I thought I was going to be a lawyer. But, once I got to my senior year, that changed because one of my professors was a police officer in Florida. I interned with him, and I ended up interning for a lawyer down there. After that experience I just knew I didn't want to be a lawyer any more, and I shifted my thoughts to law enforcement and being a police officer. When I graduated college, I didn't go straight into my career field. I worked here at Friendship for a couple of months and then I went into the federal government working for the Transportation Security Administration. Once I was there, I worked there for about two years, and then I talked to a couple of officers at the airport, and that's how I found out about my current position: a police officer at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. I talked to them, and I applied to be an airport police officer. I've been doing this for about two years now, and I love it.
Aneara: What is one lesson that Collegiate taught you for life after high school?
Aarionna: To stay focused and to be independent. That was instilled in me as a child, so I feel like that was just a curse of the trade that I always had.
Aneara: What is some advice you would give to the Class of 2024?
Aarionna: I would say just to stay focused. Just know what you want and what you want to do and focus on that. Make sure that you're setting goals and milestones. Prepare now. Don't wait until the last minute. Ask a whole lot of questions. If you're unsure about anything, just ask questions. There’s never a bad question you can ask. Just start now and make sure you're doing everything that you need to do now.
Alumni Editor Aneara Burns is a junior at Arizona State University and a 2020 graduate of Friendship Collegiate Academy.