“I loved it, like I absolutely loved it,” said Hannah Fagan as she described her time in the Future Law Enforcement Youth Academy (FLEYA). “So, I was nervous. But everyone there was super nice. And I just learned so much.”
The week-long summer camp helped students learn more about what the agency does behind closed doors. She and other students tell NBC Connecticut that it’s more than just simple investigations.
“So, definitely learning about the Evidence Response Team was my favorite part,” said Jackie Hsiao, who decided her interest in crime scene investigations could lead to a federal job.
“Either being the one doing the autopsies for pathology, or for forensic anthropology, being the one to study skeletal remains and figure out the way the person died, and identifying people through their teeth,” Hsiao said.
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Cody Mainville attends Foran High in Milford and says he’s always had an eye set on becoming a police officer.
“I didn't know that there was more to the FBI besides just what we saw on like TV, like investigating,” Mainville said. “But now I'm starting to figure out other job opportunities that there's available for me.”
He said he really liked learning about how agencies respond to certain crimes.
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“I also really enjoyed the bomb squad. I enjoyed the crisis negotiation and actually hearing phone calls and now people you know, de-escalate the situation,” Mainville said. “I also enjoyed the bank robbery, because the person that came in to talk to us about it, he brought in, like real dye packs, he brought in a jacket of a guy whose dye pack actually exploded on him.”
The three were among 30 local high school students chosen for last summer’s FLEYA camp. It was created by Charles Grady, the public affairs specialist for the New Haven FBI.
“We as the FBI, DEA, or the law enforcement agencies work very closely with prosecutors and attorneys. So ultimately, we're exposing young people to the entire pool of professions in legal and law enforcement careers,” Grady said.
Applications are open now for the highly competitive summer program, where students spend a week during the summer on Yale’s campus, hearing from experts and making connections for the future.
Fagan was excited to meet Connecticut U.S. Attorney Vanessa Avery, who gave her tips on becoming a lawyer.
It was Fagan’s first time away from home, and she says she didn’t even have time to be worried.
“Yeah, they kept my mind busy,” Fagan said. “I was always doing something, and it was just such a great experience.”
