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Abstract: James Lyon spent most of his youth in various different cities of Wisconsin, finally settling in the very small town of Sparta. No one in his family before him had every attended college or received any education beyond high school. His father worked as a Wisconsin State Trooper, and his mother as a local floral shop worker. Due to his desire to make something of himself and escape Sparta, Wisconsin, James was determined to be the first person from his family to receive a college degree, making him a first generation college student.
James’ high school, Sparta High, and the counselors and teachers that he had were of no help to him when trying to learn about how to get into and attend college; therefore he was forced to figure it out himself. He applied and was accepted to the Milwaukee School of Engineering. After having trouble with his grades, James chose to leave school and join the Navy.
After serving for four years, James decided to reapply for college, this time at Fresno State University. While going to school in Fresno, James worked many different jobs in order to make money to pay for college. He discovered he had a love for criminology and chose it as his major. After receiving his Bachelors degree, he applied to the Fresno Police Department and worked as an officer there for over 23 years. He married and had 3 children, all of whom followed in his footsteps and attended or are attending college.
Keywords: first generation, Navy, police officer, small town
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