A Chatham-Kent police officer said she hopes to be a voice for women of colour as she continues to serve as the region's first Latina constable.
Manuela Carmona Moreno, a 23-year-old Colombian immigrant, started her journey with the Chatham-Kent Police Service (CKPS) at the end of February 2022.
In 2008, Moreno's family made the decision to leave their home in Medellín and come to Canada for more opportunities and a better life.
Moreno said that while her family was not in any immediate danger when they left their country, her family believed they would be safer in Canada after her paternal grandfather was tragically killed when her father was a young boy.
With support from a family member that was already in Canada, Moreno and her parents made their way to the United States with an American Visa and managed to cross into Montréal from the Vermont border illegally before making their way to Chatham. The day after they settled, the family went to Windsor to present themselves as refugees. In the years to follow, the family took the steps to become permanent residents and later Canadian citizens.
Ahead of her decision to pursue a career in law enforcement, Moreno said growing up as a person of colour in a rural community was sometimes difficult.
"Being here [in Chatham], I went through a lot of obstacles within myself that I had to work through," said Moreno.
Now, as a newly hired constable in the community where she did the bulk of her growing up, Moreno said being the only Spanish-speaking immigrant officer has been a great experience.
"I've had a lot of positive feedback from the public in terms of being able to help in investigations where whoever's involved doesn't fully speak English and feels more comfortable in speaking in Spanish," Moreno told CKNewsToday.ca.
Moreno explained the Spanish-speaking population in the area is still quite small, with her only being aware of 30 Spanish families however, she said the numbers are beginning to increase as more hispanic individuals from areas in Windsor and London move to Chatham-Kent. She added the amount of latin migrant workers in the area also continues to grow and being bi-lingual in Spanish continues to be an asset to CKPS.
"Coming in as a 23-year-old Colombian, first Latina in the service, I think it just makes me proud to be able to represent not only my own country, but also the immigrant community around Chatham-Kent," said Moreno.
The young officer not only continues to bring positive representation locally, but also back home in Colombia where her grandmother was eager to share Moreno's story and accomplishments in Chatham with the news publication El Colombiano.
"I feel honoured," said Moreno when asked how she feels about her story making headlines world wide.
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Looking ahead at what's next in her policing career, Moreno expressed that she plans to make it her mission to inspire young girls and the generations that come after her by proving your background and ethnicity can not define who you are and what you can accomplish.
"I think we are becoming better at [being inclusive] here in Chatham-Kent and accepting diversity, so it makes me happy to see that," said Moreno.
-With files from Matt Weverink