Chief Liz Griffin, left, congratulates Alexandra Magana Cabrera.
Alexandra Magana Cabrera named Community Safety Ambassador of the Year
Alexandra Magana Cabrera got a bit of a shock when she heard her name announced at the recent UC Irvine Police Department awards banquet held at Mariners Church.
It happened when an image of her flashed on the screen and it was revealed that she was being honored as the Community Safety Ambassador of the Year.
“Receiving the award came as a surprise, but I was grateful that my dedication and passion for the program were recognized by both my fellow co-workers as well as the police department staff,” says the third-year criminology, law & society major.
Here is what CSA Program Manager Tori Hoenisch wrote and the audience heard at the banquet:
The next award is for the Community Safety Ambassador of the Year. Community Safety Ambassadors are part-time student employees who are the eyes and ears of the police department. They patrol areas and events around campus, provide vacation checks in University Hills, and provide nightly safety escorts to our community members.
The Community Safety Ambassador of the Year or CSA will have demonstrated excellent customer service skills with members of the community and excellent interpersonal skills within the organization. They will have demonstrated excellent technical job knowledge, and the proven ability to put that knowledge into practice. The CSA will have demonstrated outstanding dedication and support to the program, be it through extra assignments, specialty job duties, scheduling, availability, and flexibility.
We are proud to announce Alexandra Magana Cabrera as the recipient for this award. Alexandra is a first-generation college student majoring in criminology, law and society, with the goal of declaring a double major in psychology by the end of the upcoming winter quarter. She has been a CSA with UCIPD for a year and a half. Alexandra is an exceptional CSA. She is hardworking, dedicated and selfless. She serves as an FTO [field training officer], a mentor to CSA trainees, a front desk CSA, a member of the CSA hiring team, and she is the CSA scheduling lead. In her role as the scheduling lead, she works hard to accommodate all of the CSA service requests while keeping in mind the needs of the other CSA’s, including their scheduling preferences, commute times, their time off requests and their class schedules. If someone calls out for a shift, even at the last minute, Alexandra will pick up the shift if needed to ensure proper coverage. She is a true team player, and we are grateful for her outstanding work to the UCI community!Congratulations, Alexandra!
“Standing as the program’s scheduling and administrative lead as well as field training officer puts me in a position where I am in constant communication and collaboration with the police department and outside clientele. I am one of the main points of contact when it comes to clientele communication for the hiring of CSA services,” explains Cabrera.
For nearly 20 years, UCIPD has celebrated employees and volunteers who’ve demonstrated exceptional service. Honorees are peer-nominated, with an internal committee making the final decisions. The awards banquet is held every two years.
“To all members of the UCI Police Department, thank you,” said Chief Liz Griffin at the ceremony. “Every day, you work hard, with a true commitment to keeping our university and UCI Health communities safe. Your dedication to safety for our students, faculty, staff, patients and visitors reflects your spirit of service that defines this department. I am proud to celebrate you and the profound impact you have on the well-being of our campus community.”
Cabrera speaks with pride about her studies and now award-winning CSA role, especially considering her heritage.
“I am a first-generation college student coming from a Hispanic background that has always made the effort to take advantage of the life my Hispanic parents have given me to make them proud and ensure the challenges they overcame to give my siblings and me the life that we have not be in vein,” Cabrera says. “I chose criminology, law & society because I have always wanted to be in a position where I can give back. Being Hispanic only encourages and motivates me to face adversity and be in a position where I can help people feel safe and be the person younger generations can look up to by making a real change in the world.”
— Matt Coker