After 27 long years of being a housewife, Karen Boyko made her next move. One of 5 women cadets in the Policy Academy Program at Fresno City College, she is, undoubtedly, a vivacious and energetic spirit.

Karen experimented with the pre-academy program offered by FCC in hopes of supporting her oldest daughter, whom at the time, also wanted to apply to the police academy program at FCC.

Little did Karen know that her support would kindle her very own interest in the academy.

At 46 years old, Karen stands at about 5’9 – and looks more like a young 20 year-old woman. It is difficult to find any signs of age with her remarkable spirit and bouncy personality adorned with fair skin, curly dark brown hair and glowing green eyes. She admits to having trouble sitting down for long periods of time because she’d rather be exploring. In the meantime, however, she is pursuing what she has always wanted.

“I just grew up in a household where I did not have family support. It was during the 60’s and 70’s- and my parents were really stuck to their German ways” she explains, “but now that my two daughters have graduated from college, I feel like it’s the right time to do this” she adds.

Being the oldest in the cadet program, she states that she does not feel intimidated by any of the younger men in the program. “Aside from the fact that I am as old as some of the instructors, I really don’t feel my age – and I don’t look at age as anything important. Everyone in the program is helpful with each other and the gentlemen are really wonderful to me” she explains.

Her husband of 25 years and two daughters are very supportive of her career choice as well. “They are concerned for me- but they know that this is something I’ve chosen to do” she explains.

However, she admits that initially, she attempted to keep her decision to apply (and eventually be accepted) in the program, a secret. “I just didn’t want any negativity” she explains, “because this was an important decision for me to make.”

Karen fulfilled all of the necessary requirements during the two month pre-academy program which consists of physical training and conditioning for two months. Once the pre-academy program is complete, only then are those interested, eligible for serious consideration into the police academy program.

Instructors were amazed at Karen’s performance during training simulations and strenuous workouts, considering that during pre-academy, she was suffering from a medical condition that prevented her from performing many parts of the required training. Karen explains that her oldest daughter was surprised at her level of endurance, which she describes as being more powerful than ‘any of the young people she knows.’

“I did what I could, and it really paid off” she explained, “I even lost 25 pounds in the process.”
Thus far, Karen is learning the challenges that the police academy program poses to the mind and body. Trainings include a multitude of exercises ranging from running 5-7 miles, stairs, upper and lower body workouts, swimming, and push-ups. Workouts are strenuous, and classroom hours last anywhere between 1-8 hours. She explains that being an antsy person has made it difficult for her to stay focused, but also the transition she has made from being a ‘mom’ to now, a full-time student.

Karen admits that being a mom for 25 years has become her area of expertise and has found it to be a key element in her training.

“Being a mom gives me strength in this program because of the similarities that exist between being a mom and a cop” she says, “when I am out there training, I need to use my patience in order to talk people down to get them under control – and that’s what mom’s essentially do with their kids” she explains.

Karen’s goals include staying in the top 5 among her peers. Currently, she ranks 4. “Because of my age, I feel that I need to set higher goals for myself in order to perform the best that I can” she states. Eventually, she would like to be in a special K-9 unit, move up to Sergeant or become a detective.

“I really encourage women to apply to the academy because it is a great opportunity”.

So far, Karen has no complaints because she is thoroughly excited about the academy. “I just love it!” she exclaims with enthusiasm.

FCC wishes her the best in her endeavors as a strong future cop-to-be.