![\"\"](\"https:\/\/safety.utk.edu\/police\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/05\/Victor-200x300.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Victor Penaloza joined The University of Tennessee Police Department as a Telecommunications Officer in April 2024, driven by a dual passion\u2014to pursue higher education and to serve others.<\/p>\n
With the Spring 2025 semester now behind him, Penaloza has completed the master\u2019s program in the College of Communication and Information at the University of Tennessee.<\/p>\n
\u201cHelping people and honing my communication skills are the main reasons I went after my telecommunications job,\u201d said Penaloza. \u201cI always want to enhance my career and help pave the way for me to reach my future goals of becoming an entertainment attorney or working in public relations for celebrities.\u201d<\/p>\n
Penaloza brings with him a strong academic foundation. He holds degrees in Political Science and Communications from Berea College, and he\u2019s already completed a year of law school. His experience at UTPD has only sharpened his interpersonal abilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cEach call, or each person I meet, is a unique way to help make a connection while helping people,\u201d he said. \u201cSpeaking with people, developing rapport\u2014these are the building blocks for my future.\u201d<\/p>\n
Among his academic experiences, Penaloza was especially surprised by how much he enjoyed computer coding.<\/p>\n
\u201cI definitely judged a book by its cover when it comes to the coding classes,\u201d he admitted. \u201cI was very skeptical at first, and it was something I had no experience in. But it ended up not being bad at all. I learned a lot about designing websites, which could help me down the line.\u201d<\/p>\n
With his new degree in hand and a steadfast commitment to helping others, Penaloza continues to build toward a future that blends communication, service, and ambition.<\/p>\n
\u201cVictor is an amazing asset to our department, he is an extremely hard worker and achieves goals he sets his sights on,\u201d said University of Tennessee Police Chief Sean Patterson. \u201cHe is an inspiration to others that are looking to add accolades in higher education to their resumes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI genuinely enjoy my job and my coworkers, I like seeing them and the different things we experience,\u201d said Penaloza. \u201cMost of the time it feels like it isn\u2019t even work, I enjoy helping people so much and working toward my future goals\u2026combining those two worlds is the perfect setup to achieve all my goals.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Victor Penaloza joined The University of Tennessee Police Department as a Telecommunications Officer in April 2024, driven by a dual […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8392","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n