McKena Miyashiro |
When students see Jeanie Toscano around campus, they might think she’s just there to keep them in line. But it wasn’t very long ago that Toscano, a Public Safety officer, was just another UP student.
Toscano, a ‘08 alum, has degrees in social work, English and foreign language (now known as international languages and cultures).
Moving from Mexico to northeast Portland when she was 11 was a shock for Toscano. Because of her upbringing in the Parkrose area, a diverse part of the city, Toscano originally felt a bit of out place at UP due to its homogeneity.
Yet Toscano found her home on The Bluff in the rowing club and the international club. She remembers herself as a shy student trying to get involved as much as she could.
"I was always a curious person, and I always had a sense that whatever I did, I wanted it to be beneficial," Toscano said.
Toscano studied abroad in Salzburg her sophomore year. This exposed her to Europe along with a group of predominantly white students.
"That was somewhat foreign to me because as I mentioned earlier, we moved to Parkrose, and that was not the majority where I grew up,” Toscano said.
Toscano said the study abroad program was still a rich experience and helped her gain a broader perspective on life.
The summer after traveling to Salzburg, Toscano participated in a social work program in Morelia, Mexico. She looked at the health care system in Morelia to compare and contrast the social dilemmas they face to those in the U.S.
"I went to soup kitchens with the Moreau Center, but it was nice connecting with my own people,” Toscano said. “It was just eye-opening and a huge learning experience for myself.”
During her time at UP, Toscano also volunteered at a women's correctional facility and taught English. This was Toscano’s first exposure to people who go through the system of law enforcement and rehabilitation.
After graduating in 2008, Toscano received a Fulbright fellowship for Germany. Fueled by her desire to travel, and drawing from her own experiences as an immigrant, Toscano researched the integration process of Turkish immigrants into Germany. She interviewed teachers and parents of Turkish immigrants about their experiences, and found that immigrants fall through the cracks because of the education system.
Returning to the U.S, Toscano started her first social work job at Neighborhood House. There, she witnessed what she felt was prejudiced treatment by law enforcement.
"There's something that attracts me to law enforcement since everyday's different and you're in a position of response," Toscano said. "You have to be trained to respond. So I pursued positions in law enforcement, and I became a law enforcement officer for Beaverton."
Toscano met fellow Public Safety Officer Brian Hanson in Beaverton, who told her about an opening at UP to become a Public Safety officer.
Since joining the Public Safety team in April, Toscano witnessed first-hand some of the struggles students face. She finds her direct work with students to be rewarding and exciting.
"I like the variety of calls we've been getting, especially with the freshmen settling in. I like getting in on the action and just responding to who-knows-what it's going to be," Toscano said.
As a former student, Toscano understands that students attend college to study and have a good time.
“P-Safe is here to facilitate the process students need to have a good time and feel safe doing it,” Toscano said. “I feel I’m facilitating a safe environment for students to grow, make mistake once in a while, learn from their mistakes and move forward.”
Toscano is aware that Public Safety may be seen as an accusatory presence. What some students forget, she said, is that Public Safety officers try to take the least intrusive route to help students understand their mistakes.
“A lot of times when we’re coming into contact with a student, it’s unwanted contact,” Toscano said. “But in terms of calls about noise complaints, it’s actually better for students that we respond as opposed to Portland Police.”
In the future, Toscano is considering pursuing Spanish literature or a career as a police officer.
"I feel like I have a lot to learn,” Toscano said. “And I need to hang tight for a bit, and learn what I have to learn here before I'm in a place to figure out what the next step is." McKena Miyashiro is a reporter for The Beacon. You can contact her at miyashir17@up.edu.
