Being more than just a student and making a difference in the lives of others is the main drives Haley Bolt’s purpose.

“I love what I do in school as well as the various responsibilities I have outside of it,” Bolt said.

Bolt isn’t your typical Piedmont College senior. She is a member of the cross country and track teams, but her main focus is in her academics. She is majoring in forensic science with a minor in criminal justice. While others may find themselves busy enough with the rigorous course load of this major alone, Bolt takes that extra step to apply her skills and knowledge in action with a job as a member of the Piedmont Campus Police.

Her career started in September of 2018 when she first joined the force and got acquainted with the basics. Since then, Bolt’s role has evolved to be simple, yet vital in the day-to-day operations of the office. “I assist in any calls, handle parking passes, log tickets and help people that come into the office looking for help,” she said. Bolt does the dirty work that isn’t the most glamourous, but without her the officers would have much more work on their hands. She also takes a great deal of pride in being part of an organization responsible for keeping 1,500 students and staff protected. “The new chief does a lot more to keep the campus and people on it safe and happy.”

With a little over a year’s experience serving Piedmont College, Bolt has been able to land herself other related jobs, such as an internship with the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office over this past summer. She is also currently working another internship at the nearby Banks County Sheriff’s Office. Bolt says the best part about it is that “she’s getting real life experience and I’m learning how to do things cops do every day, so not the basic ‘watch but don’t touch’ things.”

To Bolt, this is crucial for applying herself in the future career field. “I get a lot of hands on experience.”

Although she is getting lots of standard police officer exposure, Bolt plans to take her career in a little bit of a different direction. “The way I want to go is I want to be a certified crime scene investigator.”

This sounds like a much bigger piece of the pie. “I would be in the field, but a little bit more of a lab rat as well. Basically it would be the best of both worlds.”

Bolt has the upmost support of her forensics professor,. Bruce Willis.  “The inquisitive nature of her questions exhibit a higher level of understanding.