>> I'm standing here today at the biggest port in the world,
San Ysidro, and I still cannot believe that I did it.
I became a CBP officer in March of 2018,
after graduating from FLETC.
It was a dream of mine that I wanted to join
in either the military or law enforcement,
and fall into my dad's footsteps.
I was a contractor for the government in Washington, D.C.,
and I was taking the train.
And I would see the same faces every morning and every afternoon,
one of which was Branch Chief Carl Rowe.
>> Almost every day I was standing next to her on the ride home.
And we just struck up a conversation,
and she told me about how she came to the United States,
and what her father did for a living.
And I just found it a really fascinating story.
She had confided in me that her father
was actually the Chief of Police in Bucharest, Romania.
So she grew up around law enforcement,
him being the Chief of Police.
He was well-respected in the community.
Unfortunately, after the fall of communism,
he was taken a political prisoner. And he came to the United States
and sought asylum here in the United States.
And within a few months of them emigrating here to the United States,
her father passed away.
So I think I was the first opportunity
that she could really have a long conversation about the pros
and cons of law enforcement here in the United States,
and what avenues she would have to take
to become a law enforcement officer here.
>> I remember day after day, while being at work,
watching CBP videos and reading anything I could about CBP,
trying to just decide for myself
whether or not I actually wanted this.
The more I read and the more I've seen and the more I heard,
the more I wanted it.
Talked some more with Mr. Rowe and asked him more questions,
and wanting to know more and more about the process,
and how long it's going to take.
>> I thought she would make a great CBP officer.
She had a great attitude. She understood what the job was.
Being the child of a law enforcement officer, she understood the risks,
she understood the hours, the sacrifices.
>> And at that point, I was a little bit on the fence,
because I honestly didn't think that I was the right person for CBP,
coming from a different country.
And I had expressed my concerns to Mr. Rowe,
and he pretty much talked to me throughout the whole process,
and how many CBP officers are coming from all over the world.
And having my own sister, that was totally against it,
apply for CBP and getting through the process herself right now --
it's amazing.
>> She felt that without my help,
she might have struggled harder to get the job.
So she asked me if I would be willing to come down and pin her badge
on at her graduation ceremony. And of course, I said yes.
It was one of the greatest honors I've done in this career.
>> Joining Officer Capatina on stage is her friend, Carl Rowe.
>> Please raise your right hand and repeat after me:
"I"
>> I >> State your name.
>> Ecaterina Capatina.
>> If anybody's interested in applying for a job with CBP,
I urge everybody to follow their dreams,
because it's worth it. It's absolutely worth it.