3 minute read
INSPIRING CURRENT LAKERS TO FOLLOW THEIR DREAMS
Tyrone Dennis, Laker Nation Class of 1999, returned to Lake Land as a guest speaker, sharing what he has learned during his path from student athlete to retired police officer and gang expert.
“I really want to stress to these students that you can do anything you put your mind to,” Dennissaid. “No matter what your background is or where you came from, you can be successful.”
As a graduate of the Criminal Justice program at Lake Land, Dennis initially came to Lake Land to play basketball, not knowing that his time at the college would significantly alter his life’s trajectory.
Having spent 16 and a half years working as a police officer in Atlanta, Georgia specializing in gangs and guns, Dennis retired as Atlanta Police Department’s most decorated officer.
He is now the director of school safety for Rockwood School District in St. Louis County as well as runs his own consulting business as a gang expert specializing in gang investigations. Dennis also launched and actively participates in Clippers and Cops,
a space in which police officers, citizens, city officials, those who have had prior run-ins with law enforcement and others can gather and discuss how to improve citizen and police relations.
“Life is nothing but a dream,” Dennis said. “The decisions you make, the path that you take, that’s all up to you.”
Dennis went on to share that it was his criminal justice instructor, Ken Greider, who talked to him about possibly pursuing a career in the FBI, which Dennis said was something that had never occurred to him.
Dennis' basketball headshot, 1998
“The reason I love being at Lake Land and telling my story is because everything that I’ve been able to accomplish started at Lake Land,” Dennis said. “Lake Land helped lay the foundation for me to take my career to where it went.”
To learn more about how you can enroll, visit the Lake Land College Criminal Justice program page at lakelandcollege.edu. Look for the Academics Menu and select Academic Areas of Study, then Health & Public Services.
Dennis (#11) and his fellow 1998-1999 Lakers Men's Basketball team members.
ONLINE BONUS
To watch Dennis' full interview visit qrco.de/bdRrHE.
LAKER ATHLETICS IS A WINNING TRADITION
Laker athletes are renowned for their excellence both in the classroom as well as in competition. In the past decade, Laker Athletics has achieved the following honors:
43 ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN TEAMS
271 INDIVUAL ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN ATHLETES
42 TEAM GPAS ABOVE 3.0
638 ATHLETES WITH 3.0 GPAS OR HIGHER
146 ALL-REGION PLAYERS
61 ALL-REGION TOURNAMENT PLAYERS
163 ALL-CONFERENCE PLAYERS
32 NJCAA ALL-AMERICANS
16 CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
14 NATIONAL TOURNAMENT APPEARANCES
21 REGION CHAMPIONSHIPS
13 FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
20 PLAYER OF THE YEAR
18 COACH OF THE YEAR
1 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
