Pace High School junior Mayerli Cayon is one of the latest graduates of the FBI Summer Youth Academy hosted by Miami Dade College’s North Campus, the FBI Miami Citizens Academy Alumni Association (FBI Miami CAAA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Miami Division.
The week-long academy took place June 11 through 16 where Cayon and other local high school upperclassman took a deeper dive into the inner-workings of the FBI organization as a career.
The experience helps students build positive relationships with professionals in law enforcement and serves to strengthen their decision-making and goal setting skills for their college and career planning.
Cayon expressed an interest in the FBI to Miami Lakes councilmmember Nelson Rodriguez. As a class of 1987 Pace alumnus and a member of the FBI Miami Citizens Academy Alumni Association, Rodriguez motivated Cayon to apply. Application for the program consisted of having 2.5 GPA or higher, a 750-word essay and letters of recommendation from teachers and counselors.
“I aspire to work for the Federal Bureau of Investigation when I am done with my Bachelors Degree,” expressed Cayon. “By applying and joining the FBI Youth Academy, it helped increase my knowledge of the Bureau. They touched on different areas such as fingerprinting, hostage situations, how polygraph exams work and how to deal with sex crimes.”
Cayon recalled several of her favorite moments being the chance to visit a driving range and taking a defensive tactics class.
“It was an amazing experience. I was able to meet new people and network with the special agents as well as other law enforcement agencies.”
The FBI Youth Academy was made possible through scholarships from FBI Miami CAAA, which covers tuition, uniforms, classroom supplies, lunch and field trips. At the end of the week, a graduation was held where all participants received a certificate of completion.