Just a year ago, Ashley Mountain ’22, M’23 graduated from Merrimack College’s criminal justice master’s program. Today, she’s on her way to becoming a federal customs and border protection officer.
In August, Mountain graduated from the Customs and Border Protection Academy in Brunswick, GA.
“They revamped our program (at the Academy) to focus more on physical training,” she said. “I had physical stuff every single day. It was either running, doing push-ups, doing weights, or it was self-defense stuff. We prepare for the worst day of our lives but we hope it never happens.”
Now, she’s been relocated to Ft. Lauderdale, FL, where she’ll be assigned to watch over points of entry such as the city’s airports and seaports.
“It seems like the training never ends,” she said with a smile. “Each section of training takes around six weeks. Currently, we’re working on (how to inspect) bags, then we’ll move on to interviewing (those looking to enter the country) and investigations.”
Mountain came to Merrimack with an interest in law enforcement, but she initially struggled to find her niche. Her homeland security professor, Peter Darling ’86, recommended she pursue a career as a federal officer.
“Ashley was one of the most outstanding students I mentored,” Darling said. “The Academy is looking to bring more women into the force. She went through the training flawlessly and I know she’ll do great in Ft. Lauderdale.”
Darling helped Mountain through the Customs and Border Protection Academy’s long, arduous application process.
“Applying for a federal job is nothing like applying for a regular job,” she explained. “From the time I hit ‘submit’ on my application to the time I got the acceptance phone call, it took about a year. With federal jobs, they go into everything – employment history, education, living history. I had to take a polygraph test. They really need to know who they’re accepting into the job.”
Now that she’s on her way to becoming a full-time officer, Mountain is excited to see all that her career has to offer.
“I’m hoping to maybe get into pre-clearance, which is basically being stationed in a different country and doing the customs process before they get on the plane (to come to the United States),” she said. “I love to travel and I try to go to a new place every year.”
