Jace Tesla

"I’m thinking of becoming a correctional officer, and when I heard that my mom and sister were going to M State, I decided to join in and come here, too. My mom introduced me to the criminal justice field; I saw her zeal about it, and it sparked a flame in me. 

It's funny how this has become a family thing, but I love doing this program. It’s very hands-on, and the instructors are so helpful. 

I volunteer for the pancake breakfasts (a weekly event that the Moorhead Masonic Lodge holds in partnership with the M State Criminal Justice program), and I really like that program. I’m introverted; not very outgoing or talkative with people. But there, I genuinely have fun. We serve customers pancakes and it’s enjoyable. It gets me out of my shell and talking to people. I think doing that will benefit me as an officer, because in the field, you obviously have to talk to the public. I’ll need conversation skills, which I don’t have but am learning from this program."