Answering the Call

From public health to emergency services, many Eastern Connecticut State University alumni are leaving their mark on communities as dedicated first responders. Through a diverse range of experiences and backgrounds, these individuals share a common commitment to service, leadership and compassion.

ANGELINE HERRICK '14

MAKING EMERGENCIES LESS STRESSFUL

Angeline Herrick ’14 has built a multifaceted career, balancing public health and emergency services. While currently working full time as a consumer reviewer administrator for General Dynamics Information Technology, she also serves part time as a firefighter and advanced EMT for the Old Orchard Beach Fire Department in Maine.  

Herrick credits her bachelor’s degree in psychology for her approach to public service. “Working in public health requires an understanding of how to talk to people and how people think, individually and as a group,” she said.  

Herrick utilized these skills during the COVID-19 pandemic, when she worked as an outbreak epidemiologist for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), managing a team that helped businesses keep their operations running while adhering to CDC guidelines.  

When I see my patients, it’s because they’re having the worst day of their life. When I leave them, I want their interaction with me to have made that day at least a little less stressful.

She credits her time at Eastern for helping her develop the skills needed to lead during a crisis. “I have always been in roles that required leadership and being able to take charge,” Herrick said, reflecting on her experiences in public health and emergency response.  

A firefighter since 2007, Herrick began volunteering at the Mansfield Fire Department while attending Eastern. While she stops short of calling it courage, Herrick’s compassion and problem-solving help her serve in emergencies.     

JIMMY BARRETT '95

PROTECTING AND SERVING HARTFORD'S HOMELESS

Jimmy Barrett ’95 transitioned from traditional policing to a role in which he finds deeper meaning when he became the homeless outreach officer for the Hartford Police Department.  

After nearly 10 years in this role, Barrett has helped transform the lives of many individuals in Hartford’s homeless population, applying the lessons learned from his sociology and applied social relations studies at Eastern.  

“The majority of the people in our society live in a bubble and they don’t really understand (homelessness),” he said.  

“Any one of us could be homeless at any time,” Barrett said. His empathetic approach focuses on getting to know each person’s story before making assumptions, a philosophy rooted in his time at Eastern. Barrett took the knowledge he gained at Eastern into service with the U.S. Army and his police work. “The foundation was, again, the education from Eastern,” he said.  

Barrett’s work is personal and relational. He believes that noticing and engaging with people can be the key to transforming lives. “If I can make a difference to someone’s life, it’s like a paycheck for me,” he said. 

BROOKE WAYTE ’10  

BUILDING RAPPORT IN LAW ENFORCEMENT

Police officer Brooke Wayte ’10 currently works for the Myrtle Beach Police Department in South Carolina, having previously served at the New York City Police Department (NYPD).  

Wayte was inspired to become a police officer from a young age. “My dad had always wanted to be a police officer, but never took the job and regretted it,” she said.  

One of Wayte’s top priorities is establishing a rapport with the people she serves. As a sociology major at Eastern, she learned how to relate to “people from all walks of life.”  

During her education and her career, Wayte has established core skills such as communication, time management and discipline. A major part of this learning curve took place while playing on Eastern’s women’s lacrosse team.   

Wayte remembers “meeting people who supported my goals,” including teammates and then-head coach Christine Hutchison. She also remembers the growing pains that accompanied learning to prioritize.  

“We had 6 a.m. practices,” she said. “We hated them when they happened; the biggest challenge was making sure your (class) schedule revolved around your team.”  

Through each step of the process, one common skill has assisted Wayte and those she serves: “Relating to people and having conversations with them on their level.”  

CAMERON MILTON ’19  

A FIREFIGHTER RETURNS TO HIS ROOTS 

Cameron Milton ’19 grew up surrounded by firefighters in his family before following in their footsteps. He began volunteering as a firefighter in Norwich at age 18 and made an unexpected return to service in his home city after working as a firefighter in Farmington in 2022.  

“I didn’t think I wanted to be in Norwich because I was born and raised there,” said Milton. However, after being offered his current job, he was inspired. “What better way to serve the community?” he said.  

Milton made a promise to himself when graduating from Eastern, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration: “I’m going to give my degree three years and see where I go with it."

If he didn’t like the direction of his career, he would become a firefighter full time. As luck would have it, his job opportunity in Norwich came three years, almost to the day, after he graduated.  

Milton’s time at Eastern taught him to prioritize. “I always had a really good class schedule,” said Milton, describing how he balanced his responsibilities while at Eastern. After graduating, he worked on the corporate side of the pharmaceutical industry, for companies including Pfizer and Alexion Pharmaceuticals, before changing his career.  

Yet, Milton’s volunteer service as a firefighter and EMT benefited his corporate career. Serving people in emergency situations gave him the perspective that day-to-day stressors in the corporate world pale in comparison to dire circumstances in the line of duty.  

“There are always worse situations out there,” Milton said. “(In the workplace), you’ve got to really handle that and grasp all the information you have.”  

MATTHEW SOLAK ’05  

LIFELONG LEARNING IN PUBLIC SAFETY  

Lieutenant Matthew Solak ’05 of the Willimantic Police Department has built his career around continual learning and service. He speaks highly of Eastern because of “the people you meet and the encouragement of lifelong learning.”  

During his 19 years serving Willimantic, Solak has witnessed how “the area has developed” and become a “really different town” than it was when he arrived at Eastern in 1998. “It’s such a small town, but it can still offer an urban experience,” he said.  

“Eastern is very open-minded in creating those opportunities and reducing those barriers” for local community members, he said.  

Even as he approaches retirement, Solak will continue to learn and serve the local community as an educator. He is currently pursuing a doctoral degree at the University of Connecticut. He has honed his educational acumen in recent years at Eastern by co-instructing a policing course with Theresa Severance, professor of criminology and sociology.  

“If you had told me in 1999 that I’d be a lieutenant teaching in a criminology class,” said Solak, “I wouldn’t have believed you.”   

TRACIE JOHNSON ’93  

AN ECLECTIC JOURNEY IN POLICING AND BEYOND

Tracie Johnson ’93 recently retired after 23 years of service as a sergeant with the Manchester Police Department, but she remains active in the field, now serving as the executive assistant to the chief of police at the Coventry Police Department.  

“Maybe it’s comfort,” said Johnson on why she serves the police force in retirement. “It’s being able to use some of the same skills. ... I’m not out on the road like I was, but I still have that knowledge of how to make things run in the background.”  

Johnson’s path has been eclectic; she studied fine arts and business at Eastern before earning a graduate degree in education and eventually fulfilling her dream of becoming a police officer.

“I got hired as a police officer (by the Manchester PD) at the same time I had already gone back to school to be a teacher because I thought the police thing wasn’t happening,” she said.  

“My thought process was, if I never try this one, I’m never going to know, but if it ends up being not what I want, then I still have teaching as a backup.”  

Johnson’s time at Eastern prepared her for the many roles she has taken on in her career. “It teaches you multitasking, time management and prioritizing what has to get done,” she said of being a busy college student.