Alumni Highlight - James Trachuk

Since graduating from Greenwood in 2015, I have taken a path that led me to join the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. After high school, I attended Western University to study social sciences. I was drawn to the political science major as well as the minor in transitional justice and post-conflict reconstruction as these subjects discussed and critiqued a broad range of topics related to my career interests. Within both programs, the area I was most interested in was peacekeeping. This topic is an interest that I first explored during my time at Greenwood, and since then it has fascinated me and served as a focus in my studies. In my third year at Western, I submitted and published a paper about peacekeeping to Federalism-E, an undergraduate student journal run by the Institute of Intergovernmental Relations at Queen’s University and the Royal Military College. Publishing this paper was a defining achievement for me during my time at Western. I graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree with a major in political science and a minor in transitional justice and post-conflict reconstruction.

While attending university, I joined the Army Reserves to explore a lifelong interest and gain valuable experience. During my time in the Reserves, I was fortunate enough to attend courses ranging from learning the fundamental skills of leadership to parachuting. I found my time in the Army Reserves was challenging but equally rewarding, and I am grateful for the opportunity.

After being accepted into the RCMP at the start of 2021, I attended the Cadet Training Program at RCMP Depot Division in Regina, Saskatchewan. The training consisted of applied police sciences, police driving defensive tactics, drill, and firearms. The program was six months long and very demanding, but entirely worth it. When graduation came around and I received my badge, the feeling of joy and pride was indescribable.

What I am most excited for about becoming a Police Officer in the RCMP is the opportunity and privilege to be active in the community and meet Canadians from all walks of life. I recently arrived to my first posting at the Northern Rockies detachment, situated in remote Northern British Columbia (B.C.) and only a few hours south of the border with the Yukon. As a constable at a small but busy detachment that patrols around ten percent of the entire province of B.C., I will gain valuable field experience over the next four years. In only a few short weeks here, I have also gotten a chance to appreciate the unique location through witnessing bison, caribou, bears, and other wildlife up close, and also by exploring the various mountains and glacial lakes within my patrol zone.

I believe that my time in Greenwood certainly helped build the foundation that led me down the path I’ve taken. It was Greenwood’s belief in building character that encouraged me to pursue both personal and professional challenges and face adversity. It was also Greenwood’s core value of pursuing passion that helped motivate me to pursue growth and tackle my goals. The values I learned at Greenwood align well with the RCMP core values of Integrity, Honesty, Professionalism, Compassion, Respect, and Accountability.