Anna l'Ami believes it only takes one role model to set you on your path of life.
l'Ami recalls while playing hockey for the North Bay Ice Boltz, she was excited to see an older North Bay Ice Boltz player become a female police officer.
"Ever since I was 15 years old, I grew up playing hockey and I saw one of the police officers that is on the service now, I saw her in uniform and I was just so inspired by that to see a female in policing. 'Oh, I can actually do this, look at her,'" said l'Ami.
l'Ami was one of three new North Bay police constables that took part in a swearing-in ceremony at the Davedi Club on Friday morning. The Service also introduced six more experienced officers that have been hired as well during the ceremony. New constable Allison Armstrong and experienced officer Nicole Bedard were the other two new female officers introduced along with l'Ami.
l'Ami, whose family runs a garden centre south fo the city, says it was Aila Udeschini who was her special role model. While taking the Criminal Justice Services program at Canadore College, she admits her goal was to get on with the North Bay Police upon graduation.
"I grew up here, went to high school here, played all of my sports here," said the Chippewa Secondary School graduate.
"My community has given so much to me that I just want to give back to them and my family is here so being in North Bay was ideal for me."
Now l'Ami is hoping to pass on that inspiration to someone else.
"I just think anyone can do this job and it is not titled to anyone and if it inspires one young female person to see me here that is what I want to do, I want to inspire people to be the best they can and to serve our community," she said.
"I was that young female and that is what Aila did for me, just seeing her in uniform, that inspired me and I said 'wow, I can do this.' If one young female sees me then I am going to be pretty proud of that."
