Ignatius F. Perry ’14 chose Shenandoah because he wanted the experience of becoming an adult away from his hometown. “Shenandoah was able to bring a true college experience but also do it with a smaller population size,” said Perry.
The fondest memory Perry has of his time at Shenandoah is the tight knit friendships he created. He also enjoys that some of his professors became his supervisors at his current job.
Perry is a police officer with the Winchester Police Department in Winchester, Virginia. In his position, he is a recruiting officer, does patrol and is a member of the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT). As a member of the CIT, Perry has the training to help de-escalate potentially life-threatening situations for subjects experiencing a crisis in mental health.
Perry says he is “committed to improving the quality of life for all people by preventing crime in the city. We will accomplish this by enforcing the law with impartiality, creating partnerships through communication and education, and problem-solving using innovative policing strategies.”
The most rewarding part of Perry’s career is giving individuals in the community the resources to success. He also takes pride in dealing with traffic violations and crimes associated with weapons and narcotics.
Outside of work, Perry is still active in the Shenandoah community as a member of the Shenandoah University Black Alumni Network, a newly formed alumni group that came together in 2020.
Perry says Shenandoah’s learning environment allowed him to create relationships with Winchester community members, which he is able to rely on in his career today.
Perry’s advice to students is: “I would advise if you want to experience a career that is challenging physically and mentally, policing is a great place to start. You will gain positive character traits, friendships and what seem like family. Lastly, with the divide law enforcement and community are experiencing, you can help bring new techniques to the career field.”