At Centennial College, our Police Foundations Program is more than a pathway to policing. The program gives students practical skills, confidence, and strong connections to succeed in policing, law enforcement, or even the Canadian Armed Forces. One standout graduate is Skye Pinto, a record-setting athlete, proud Centennial grad, and now a member of the Canadian Navy. Her journey shows how a Centennial College education in Police Foundations can lead to many different careers.
A long-time interest.
Skye’s interest in a military career began long before college. “I was in the cadet program for quite a while, and the experiences that I had during that time really influenced me to go the military route,” she says. After high school, though, she first went straight into university to study psychology.
“While I loved learning about psychology, the delivery method of it was just not for me,” she says. “University was just not the fit for me.” At that point, she applied for a full-time career in the Navy. She made it through most of the application process, but her vision became a barrier.
“When it came to my medical, specifically my vision, it was not good, and they said I could not join until I got laser eye surgery,” she explains. “I was told that I had to wait a few years to even get the surgery. At that point, I needed to really look at what it was that I wanted to do with my life. I thought about my career goals, and policing really aligned with that.”
Seeing is believing.
That’s when Skye discovered the Centennial College Police Foundations Program. What sealed the deal was attending one of our college open houses, seeing the campus, and meeting her teachers in person. “I started to look at college programs, a lot of which had the opportunity to do policing,” Skye explains. “I came to Centennial's open house, and when I got to the Police Foundations booth, I got to meet a few of the professors. Each of them exuded a great amount of excitement and passion for what they were teaching. I really appreciate that in teachers and professors, because it makes it so much better to learn from individuals who love what they're teaching.” What also stood out was the program’s professionalism.
“Centennial being unique for wearing the uniform was also really cool,” she says. “I grew up being in a uniform, and found many benefits from it. For example, uniforms build discipline, allow for routine, and establish a team or a group, because everyone is dressed the same. Centennial making uniforms a part of the policing program allows for personal growth, therefore making the program captivating.”
Learning by doing.
The Centennial College Police Foundations Program quickly proved to be the right fit, because of its hands-on training. “Almost every subject gave practical experience, with the intention of it helping us in our future careers in law enforcement,” Skye says, naming a few courses in particular. “One subject that was interesting was Internet Investigations, as we learned how to use investigative tools with the assistance of technology. Another was Interviewing, building those communication skills, those active looking and listening skills when talking to other people, that was useful. Crime scene investigation, when we had to have that attention to detail, that’s really important, especially in the policing realm.” For Skye, though, the most important lesson was learning balance.
“Finding that balance between yourself as an individual and yourself as a team member,” she explains. “Because in most law enforcement fields you represent that organization through yourself, your uniform, your communication skills, and your ability to articulate information and follow through with the tasks that you're given. So, you have to put an effort within yourself on a constant basis. Vice versa, you are most likely going to be working with at least one other person, maybe even a team when you're in that organization. So, you're going to be working with people of different backgrounds, opinions, skill sets, et cetera. Many classes throughout the program provided opportunities to work in pairs and groups, therefore helping us students get used to working with others on a constant basis. Overall, this was one of the most invaluable lessons and experiences I gathered during the program.”
Going outside the classroom.
Centennial College’s Police Foundations Program also connected Skye to real-world law enforcement opportunities outside of class, though she emphasizes that students need to seek them out. “If you just want to just attend class, you can just attend class,” Skye explains. “But if you, for example, build rapport with the professors, they may ask you to participate in extracurriculars, outside of the classroom,” Through those opportunities, Skye ran in the Peace Officers Memorial Run with Toronto police officers from 51 Division. She also participated in Project Hope, a toy drive led by 51 Division to help families new to Canada. She says those connections were invaluable.
“Making connections with individuals from other police services and other law enforcement related services is really beneficial,” she says. “Especially if there's a specific service you want to get into. Throughout the program, we are given many opportunities to connect, communicate, and learn from a variety of law enforcement organizations. Opportunities such as attending Centennial’s job fairs, the Police Games, and being active on the Police Foundations Program’s online classroom where professors announce active job postings and other career opportunities, these are chances to help an individual build their portfolio when it comes to their future career. We do get more opportunities during our last semester to have a variety of services come out and present their content, all of which has been invaluable, as every service has something unique to offer. Building rapport with those services and their recruiters assists with the trajectory of one’s initial steps in their application process. All thanks to Centennial.”
Representing the College.
Speaking of going outside the classroom, fitness was an important part of Skye’s Centennial College experience, as she was a part of the cross-country team. Her fitness professor, Jesse Cook, encouraged her to compete in the Peel Athletic Games, which tested endurance through push-ups, sit-and-reach, the beep test, and core strength.
“He asked me to compete and represent Centennial, so I said yes,” Skye says. “We went to one of Peel Regional Police's training facilities in Brampton, and we participated in the challenge alongside seven other colleges that have Police Foundations Programs as well. It was very high energy there, amongst all the other college students, and there were Peel police members there as well, cheering us on. Our Centennial team did really well. Many of our team members scored perfect, together we did really well, and we ended up winning.”
Looking to the future.
Having graduated from Centennial College’s Police Foundations Program, Skye then opted to pursue her original dream, enrolled in the Canadian Navy, and is looking forward to beginning her training. But she’s leaving herself open to other possibilities when it comes to her future career, and she credits Police Foundations with letting her have those options.
“Being a part of the Navy is a calling for this point in my life,” she says. “However, policing isn’t out of the picture. Having the opportunity to have gone to Centennial for Police Foundations has shown me that there are so many different pathways that one can take with regard to their career in law enforcement, therefore providing myself with more of an open-mind with respect to my future careers.”
“Life is not always going to play out the way you thought,” she says, “and so you should try to go with the flow of it, because to be rigid is to only see what's in front of you, and to be flexible is to see what is all around you. Don’t give up on your dreams and your aspirations, even when other individuals don't think it's the right fit for you, because you're the only one who can decide what to write for you at the end of the day.” And when it comes to more practical advice? Start working out, and getting in shape!
“From a practicality standpoint, start exercising in alignment to the standards of the career you want to get into,” she says. “Much of law enforcement bases a part of their application process on one’s fitness performance, therefore vital to be on par with it. The earlier you start doing that, the better, because it can prove to be difficult to reach those standards in a short period of time. Get yourself into a routine, however that best fits you, and then go from there.”
From cadets, to Centennial, to the Canadian Navy, Skye Pinto’s journey reflects resilience, adaptability, and ambition. Her story is proof that the Centennial College Police Foundations program prepares students for more than one future. Whether in policing, law enforcement, or the armed forces, the program opens doors, builds skills, and connects you with opportunities to serve and succeed.
By Anthony Geremia