Miami Palmetto’s very own Forensic Investigative Academy (FIA) program was given the extraordinary opportunity to travel to Washington DC and visit FBI headquarters as well as the FBI academy in Quantico. Accompanied by principal Victoria Dobbs and FIA head coordinator John Hayduk, the trip was an incredible success.
The 10 students from the first graduating class of the program were given special opportunities and were toured around both locations by FBI agents. They were allowed to enter top secret locations, such as SIOC (The Strategic Information and Operations Center), and were shown the training grounds of Quantico. The students sat through presentations given by the heads of different departments of the FBI and were informed about the many opportunities the FBI can provide to young adults who are looking to join the agency.
In their free time the students were able to visit the major national monuments of the capital and watch the Washington Nationals beat the San Francisco Giants (9-6) in an incredible baseball game. “This was all possible thanks to Mr.Hayduk so we’re really thankful to both him and the FBI for giving us this opportunity,” said graduating senior Cauan Dos-Santos. The hope is that the program will be allowed to continue taking this trip every year and will allow for students to receive an inside look on how to become part of the FBI.
The FIA program, launched in 2015, provides students with the opportunity to deepen their understanding at the intersection of hard and soft sciences when it comes to information technology, legal professions, new media, applied science, engineering and intelligence. Students take AP Capstone courses in Behavioral Sciences, Cyber Security and Forensic Mathematics.