Texas Border Business
A devoted husband, father and cancer survivor, South Texas College graduate Saul Resendez spent years sacrificing and working tirelessly to support his family, enduring financial hardship and putting his dreams on hold.
But now, his lifelong goal of serving his hometown has become reality.
A recent graduate of STC’s 38th Police Academy class, the 28-year-old is stepping into the career he’s always wanted, serving not just with a badge, but with purpose.
“This is something I always wanted to do, I’m just picking up where I left off more than 10 years ago,” Resendez said. “I had to put my dream on hold, first for my health, then to provide for my family. At one point, I felt lost and told myself it might never happen. But now, thanks to the support of my hometown, the people around me and my family, I finally get to do what I was meant to do.”
Born and raised in Roma in a family of construction workers, Resendez always dreamed of becoming a police officer, a dream that was challenged at age 16 when he was diagnosed with bone cancer, forcing him to reconsider his future.
“I couldn’t work out, I couldn’t play sports, which I enjoyed and that shifted my perspective,” he shared. “I started to think that something as physical as law enforcement might not be in the cards for me. It was tough, but through the surgeries and treatment, I was just grateful to come out of it alive and healthy.”
After graduating high school, he shifted his focus to Psychology, earning an associate degree from STC in 2017, with plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice.
In 2018, he began working at the Starr County Juvenile Justice Center, hoping to build a path toward law enforcement. But as he took on the roles of husband and, later in 2020, father, he made the conscious decision to focus on stability for his growing family.
“I really loved working at the juvenile center, it solidified my goal to become an officer,” Resendez said. “But financially, things were tough. I decided to take a step back so my wife could go to school, and we could focus on growing our family. I was offered work in the pipelines and later in the oil fields. It was a big financial improvement, but it pulled me away from home and from the goals and dreams I had set for myself.”
After struggling through the job shortages brought on by the pandemic, Resendez took whatever work he could find, including long hours installing solar panels, focused solely on meeting his family’s needs, especially with the arrival of his second child.
As his wife achieved her goal of becoming a teacher and encouraged him to follow his own dreams, Resendez still felt uncertain, until last year, when he finally applied for a job with the Roma Police Department.
“I kept making excuses and telling myself, ‘You’re the man of the house, you must provide.’ I had lost faith and started to believe this was just how life was going to be. But my wife kept telling me, ‘I’ve got this, go chase your dream,’” he shared. “I owe her everything and I owe so much to my peers at Roma PD, they changed my life. I had gone through so many jobs where I was desperate for an opportunity, and no one would give me one and they believed in me from the start.”
Under contract with the Roma Police Department, Resendez enrolled at STC’s Police Academy this January and for the past six months made the daily drive, over an hour each way, to STC’s Regional Center for Public Safety Excellence in Pharr, determined to finish what he started.
“The drive, the time, the sacrifice, it doesn’t matter when you really want something,” he said. “At the end of the day, the challenge is part of the journey. You must go through it to get where you want to be.”
Now a certified police officer after passing his exam with the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE), he is set to begin his new role this month, proud to serve the community he calls home and to lead by example for his two children.
“I want to keep learning and continue growing as a police officer,” he said. “Now, I’m encouraging my wife to go for her master’s degree and after that, I’ll go for my bachelor’s. We’re growing together and setting an example for our kids.”
Grateful for the support he’s received along the way, Resendez is ready to take on this new chapter with Roma PD, one that’s been a long time coming.
“Even if other departments had offered me a job, I was always going to choose Roma,” he said. “It’s where I was born, where I was raised and where I want to be,” he added. “I’m thankful to STC for being with me through the long road, to my instructors and to everyone who encouraged me along the way. It wasn’t an easy journey, but it led me here, so I’m glad I went through it all.”
To support more aspiring law enforcement professionals, STC recently announced the expansion of its Police Academy into Starr County, set to begin this summer.
For more information, visit southtexascollege.edu/academics/law-enforcement/index.html or call 956-872-4208.
Information Source: STC
