FBI partners with HBCUs in MS to help students with career opportunities

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – The Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Jackson Field Office is on a mission to help bring diversity to the agency.

With support from top leaders in the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the hope is to recruit more students from HBCUs across Mississippi. We learned more in an exclusive interview about the plan to fill positions and expose more students to the work of the FBI across the nation.

While fans enjoyed Jackson State University’s game Saturday, there were also some special opportunities for students. Members of the FBI were helping some of them learn about potential careers with the agency.

Jermicha Fomby said, “The Beacon Initiative is a great initiative that’s headed by the FBI, pushed out from the Director’s Office in a way to do two major things. That is to increase the diversity, equity, and inclusion in the FBI’s ranks but also to improve, either maintain or improve community outreach in underrepresented communities.”

Fomby, the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Jackson Field Office, talks with 3 On Your Side Exclusively about the Beacon Initiative to recruit students from HBCUs. As a graduate of an HBCU, Fomby knows how important the program is firsthand.

“The FBI was not something that I thought was achievable for me. One, I was not a Criminal Justice major, and I knew no other person who looked like me who worked in the organization or anyone else in the organization, whether they looked like me or not, that I had access to be able to get information”, said Fomby.

Fomby says this helps bridge the gap with the community by exposing more students to the work of the FBI.

“For so long, we have been unknown and in the shadows,” Fomby said. “You can’t effectively serve if people don’t have access to you and don’t know who you are.”

Fomby shared with us some of the positions students can consider, from accounting to mechanics, computer scientists even physical fitness.

“So there’s HR Specialists, we have scientists, we have mechanics, we have IT Specialists, we have electronic technicians, we have nurses,” said Fomby.

The FBI also has a Teen Academy for kids 13 to 17 years old. Fomby says it is all about community and serving the public.

“When the kids meet us, it is almost like, ‘They do exist.’ Because usually, they’re not getting exposed to the FBI, and unfortunately, when they do, it’s usually because of an enforcement action that is occurring, and that is something that sometimes is traumatizing because of what’s occurring. So this is a chance for them to really come in and get an up close and personal view of what we do and how we do it,” Fomby said.

Students who are interested in the Beacon Initiative should contact the Career Service Counselor on their campus.

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