WEBVTT

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>> I'm standing here today
at the biggest port in the world,

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San Ysidro, and I still cannot
believe that I did it.

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I became a CBP officer
in March of 2018,

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after graduating from FLETC.

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It was a dream of mine
that I wanted to join

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in either the military
or law enforcement,

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and fall into
my dad's footsteps.

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I was a contractor for the
government in Washington, D.C.,

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and I was taking the train.

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And I would see the same faces
every morning and every afternoon,

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one of which was
Branch Chief Carl Rowe.

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>> Almost every day I was standing
next to her on the ride home.

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And we just struck up
a conversation,

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and she told me about how she came
to the United States,

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and what her father
did for a living.

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And I just found it
a really fascinating story.

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She had confided in me
that her father

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was actually the Chief of Police
in Bucharest, Romania.

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So she grew up
around law enforcement,

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him being
the Chief of Police.

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He was well-respected
in the community.

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Unfortunately,
after the fall of communism,

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he was taken a political prisoner.
And he came to the United States

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and sought asylum here
in the United States.

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And within a few months of them
emigrating here to the United States,

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her father passed away.

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So I think I was the first
opportunity

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that she could really have
a long conversation about the pros

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and cons of law enforcement
here in the United States,

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and what avenues
she would have to take

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to become
a law enforcement officer here.

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>> I remember day after day,
while being at work,

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watching CBP videos and reading
anything I could about CBP,

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trying to just decide for myself

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whether or not
I actually wanted this.

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The more I read and the more
I've seen and the more I heard,

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the more I wanted it.

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Talked some more with Mr. Rowe
and asked him more questions,

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and wanting to know more
and more about the process,

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and how long it's going to take.

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>> I thought she would make
a great CBP officer.

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She had a great attitude.
She understood what the job was.

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Being the child of a law enforcement
officer, she understood the risks,

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she understood the hours,
the sacrifices.

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>> And at that point,
I was a little bit on the fence,

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because I honestly didn't think
that I was the right person for CBP,

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coming from a different country.

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And I had expressed my concerns
to Mr. Rowe,

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and he pretty much talked to me
throughout the whole process,

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and how many CBP officers
are coming from all over the world.

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And having my own sister,
that was totally against it,

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apply for CBP and getting through
the process herself right now --

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it's amazing.

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>> She felt that without my help,

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she might have struggled harder
to get the job.

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So she asked me if I would be willing
to come down and pin her badge

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on at her graduation ceremony.
And of course, I said yes.

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It was one of the greatest honors
I've done in this career.

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>> Joining Officer Capatina on stage
is her friend, Carl Rowe.

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>> Please raise your right hand
and repeat after me:

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"I"

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>> I
>> State your name.

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>> Ecaterina Capatina.

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>> If anybody's interested
in applying for a job with CBP,

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I urge everybody
to follow their dreams,

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because it's worth it.
It's absolutely worth it.