Shalimar V. Guerra Juvenile Corrections Officer, San Mateo County Probation Department My name is Shalimar V. Guerra and I currently work as a Juvenile Corrections Officer for the San Mateo County Probation Department. My education at the College of San Mateo is what took my career to the next level. I enrolled in the Alcohol and Other Drug Studies Certificate Program after I graduated college from San Francisco State University with a Bachelor's in Criminal Justice; I wanted to enhance my personal resume and career goals.

I work in the juvenile hall and noticed that there was a lack of drug education for the youth in custody. After graduating the AOD Certificate Program, I started a pilot project to educate a small group of incarcerated youth on drugs and its relativity to crime. The program soon expanded to educating a large majority of the youth in custody, including the most serious offenders. I developed my own curriculum and worked closely with other Juvenile Hall Officers, Administration, Probation Officers and Community Based Organizations to make the program successful.

I have done training for mental health professionals, residential drug treatment programs, school faculty and students. I hope to further my education by obtaining my Master's Degree and will continue to strive to be an honorable public servant in my community.