January 7, 2015
MARSHALL NEWS MESSENGER (12/27/14) - Melissa Goodreau recently completed training to become an officer with the Texas Department of Public Safety. She will be stationed in northwest Texas after January 17, 2015.
Melissa Goodreau, 29, of Marshall, wasn't a typical girl when she was growing up.
According to her dad, Bobby, Melissa Goodreau was into everything.
"She was always interested in hunting and fishing," Bobby Goodreau said, "and she would crawl under the truck and help me fix it."
When asked if she still did some of the same things, Melissa Goodreau laughed. Her dad nodded.
"She got under her own car and changed her own oil the other day," he said.
This determined attitude and strong sense of independence led Melissa Goodreau down a career path that not many women choose first.
After receiving a bachelor of science degree in athletic training and kinesiology from East Texas Baptist University, Goodreau was a firefighter with the Waskom Fire Department and the Nesbitt Fire Department.
"I had always been interested in firefighting, and had my basic emergency medical training certification," she said.
Being a woman in a field dominated by males, Goodreau said she really didn't face any specific challenge that any firefighter hadn't faced already.
"I guess, other than my own desire to prove to myself that I could do that, that was it. Everyone has been very supportive of me," Goodreau said.
She was named the volunteer firefighter of the year for Harrison County in 2013.
"There are a lot of females who are firefighters who do a fantastic job," she said.
It was then that a friend who worked with the Texas Department of Public Safety talked to Goodreau about applying to become a DPS officer.
"My friend was recruiting me, and the DPS is the best law enforcement agency," Goodreau said.
So, Goodreau applied and was accepted. The training/certification course to become a DPS officer is 23 weeks long.
"After week 10, I had a back injury," she said, "and they offered to let me go to the Marshall office, and do an internship until my back healed."
She was finally able to finish the training after 39 weeks.
"There was a lot of classroom time, where we spent time going through codes and basic instruction," Goodreau said, "and then we week through very thorough and intense physical training classes."
"It was a tough, but I did it," she said, "I have really gotten attached to this area- Harrison County- and my hope is to be able to work my way back into the area."
The community from professors and fellow classmates at ETBU, her coworkers and others with the Waksom and Nesbitt Fire Departments were very supportive.
"They were supportive of helping me get my training and get me going in DPS," Goodreau said.
Her assignment with the Texas Department of Public Safety begins in northwest Texas Jan. 17.
In reflecting on her decision to follow the career paths she has chosen, Goodreau felt she was doing the right thing.
"Pray about whatever it is you want to do. God has a plan for all of us," she said, "and you will be your happiest when you are following what He wants you to do."
(Used by permission www.marshallnewsmessenger.com. Story by Rebecca Holland, Education Reporter)