Anthony Angelo won the Governor Victor Atiyeh Outstanding Student Award. This award is named in honor of the former distinguished governor of the state of Oregon, in whose term of office the current academy became a reality. According to the DPSST website, “this prestigious award is presented to the outstanding student of each basic class as selected by their fellow students and the academy staff. The student selected must display exceptional professionalism by demonstrating an exemplary attitude and outstanding achievement in leadership, academics, health and fitness, and survival skills.”
Anthony was also selected to be the Class Spokesperson and delivered the Graduation Address, something he claims was decided as a practical joke. It only takes a few moments with Anthony to realize that, all jokes aside, he represents his class and the probation and parole profession well. His commitment to employing evidence based practices and building relationships with his clients shines through in the way he speaks about DCJ and his job as a PPO. As a former Los Angeles Police Officer and, most recently, a Human Services Investigator with Multnomah County’s Adult Protective Services, Anthony is well equipped to partner with offenders to find what he refers to as a “convergence between the system’s goals and [an offender’s] personal goals.”
Colleen Kelly, who was called out in the Graduation Address for her “wicked smarts,” won the Dr. Ernest M. Ogard, Jr. Academic Achievement Award by achieving the highest test score. This award is in recognition of Dr. Ogard’s role as the first citizen Chair of the Board. It was his vision to expand training to include certification of corrections and parole officers.
The “animated and energetic” Joelle Smykowski won the Outstanding Defensive Tactics Award. Additionally, Joelle was awarded Top Shooter at a separate Sharp Shooter training.
Follow-up:
Sharp Shooter training that follows DPSST's Basic PPO training awards four Excellence in Marksmanship pins. All four pins were given to DCJ employees this round. Pins were awarded to: Anthony Angelo, Marilu Semph, Joelle Smykowski, and James Zolnai.