Secret Service Come to Visit QHSS

Career Day, at Queens High School for the Sciences,  had passed relatively normally with students attentively listening to lectures from experts in their chosen career fields. However, this calm was upset by two official visitors. The Secret Service had come to QHSS, and surprisingly not at the threat of a senior´s internet history. More so, they came with fascinating stories of their careers:

Jeffery Johns was Senior Agent for the New York Field Office for the US Secret Service, a prestigious and secretive position, only reserved for men and women of the top caliber. His assistant, Mike S. Wang followed shortly after him. This position allows top access to important diplomatic milestones, as well as the big responsibility of diffusing threats to the U.S safety. They have often been tasked with jobs, such as protecting U.S diplomats and nationales abroad. They can even be seen protecting the president during his public appearances and speeches. 

Yet, both had humble beginnings. Wang is a Queens local, attending Francis Lewis High School, just 20 minutes away from QHSS. He would always look forward to going to challenging classes, like physics. He would continue to double major in Computer Science and Criminal Justice, working in the IT field before applying to work in Federal Law enforcement. Johns took a more standard approach. Originally a New Jersey native, he joined the army after attending Rutgers. He would later advance to the position of Second Linteanut, training reserves at Fort Totten, just a couple of miles from the school. From there, he would apply to the FBI, where he would meet Mr. Diaz, a fellow agent. Johns would later transfer to the Secret Service, where he now works with Wang. Through their work with the secret service, they work to detect online threats to U.S security. This can range from things like money fraud to interrogating people suspected of planning terrorist acts and bringing them into police custody. These missions are often extremely spontaneous, with on-duty officers being given little to no notice, meaning they often have to be away from their families and miss important events, like birthdays or holidays. 

This dangerous work also involves many trips to foreign nations, such as a trip to a small island between Sweden and Finland, where they got to oversee diplomatic negotiations. Sometimes, they even get to oversee fun events, such as the Beijing Summer Olympics of 2008, which Wang had a birds-eye view to. 

Foreign missions typically happen about four times a year and members are usually given plenty of down-time to explore the local areas. Johns even got to see Petra on a trip to Jordan, which is classified as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Indiana Jones fans will recognize the structure from “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” 

But with these perks and opportunities, getting a job in the Secret Service is extremely difficult. Only about every one in a hundred applications get accepted. For students who are interested in federal law enforcement, a variety of professions are encouraged to apply to bring their talents to job. Wang mentioned the screening for the job is very intensive and his biggest advice is to ¨Stay clean¨. Johns talked about how competitive the process was and how it may take many tries. He says to alway stay positive and that ¨a no is just no¨. And now you can see him on National News, standing behind the president.