The Public Servant
Aspiring Police Officer Finds Purpose on Campus Beat
By Melanie Johnson
Growing up, Kyle So believed in keeping his career options open.
When he was little, he wanted to play Legos for a living. When he got to sixth grade, he wanted to be a musician, later an athlete and an engineer.
“Throughout my life, I have jumped from interest to interest,” says the criminology senior. “I didn’t really stick to anything. I asked myself, ‘Why is that?’”
When he was 15, a burgeoning interest in police work developed into a solid career plan. He joined the local Police Explorers, a program to introduce youth to careers in law enforcement. He convinced his parents, who were concerned about the dangers of the job and wanted him to pick a career in STEM, to support him in realizing his dream.
“On my 16th birthday, they said that was their present for me was, ‘We will let you become a police officer,’” So says.
Cal Poly Pomona’s criminology program, which is heavily enmeshed with the sociology major, has helped So home in on a future career in law enforcement. “The more I got into the program, the more I realized this major was what I was interested in,” he says.
He particularly connected with Paul Vernon, a Cal Poly Pomona alumnus and part-time lecturer who teaches criminological theory, exploring both the historical and contemporary reasons for crime. Vernon (’84, history), a retired police captain with a 30-year career with the LAPD, has stayed in touch with So, checking in periodically to see how his courses are going and his plans after graduation.
“He was a great professor and really helped to connect what we learned theory-wise with what we would learn with practical experience,” So says. “For many, it was a review course, but he beefed up our knowledge in each section. He really helped us understand a lot.”
In his sophomore year at Cal Poly Pomona, So applied for a community service officer (CSO) job at the University Police Department. For the past two years, he’s responded requests for an escort and helped new CSOs learn the ropes. His desire for a career in law enforcement is tied to the core of who he is as a person.
“Being a CSO at this campus, you get to interact with students. Every time I get a chance to talk to students, I do,” he says. “I love interacting with people. I am honest, value integrity and think rules are important for us to uphold. It also fits with my passion to serve the public.”
So will continue working at UPD in the fall while he completes the final courses needed to earn his degree. The job also gives So an opportunity to connect with police officers who have worked for city departments, something he aspires to do, and to grow.
“With the leadership system here, there are opportunities to move up, opportunities to learn more,” he says.