When "thank you" isn't enough

A simple "thank you" can go a long way. But, sometimes even its power doesn't feel quite strong enough to truly express one's gratitude. At least, that's how Jacob Gould felt as he neared the end of his time as a public safety officer at USI last fall.

"I knew I was leaving, and I was like, 'I wish I knew what I could do for them to show my appreciation,'" says Gould, who loved his time on campus but decided to move on to pursue his criminology degree full-time and spend more time with his family.

As a drill sergeant with the Army Reserve and a former active duty soldier who served four and a half years, including a more than year-long deployment in Afghanistan, Gould's training schedule and experiences set him apart from other employees. When he transitioned into the civilian workforce in 2013, it was hard to find a good fit. "The biggest struggle I think any soldier has, especially coming from active duty, is finding that camaraderie or that bonding that you had," Gould explains.

After a few frustrating years at other jobs, he finally found what he was looking for at USI. "I really felt like it was more than just work. It was friends and even family, or comrades, if you'd call them that," says Gould. "I felt loved and appreciated and like I was important, or I had something to give, and that's a huge thing."

Gould especially credits his former supervisors for understanding and accommodating the challenges of balancing a full-time job, his drill schedule with the Reserves, and his responsibilities as a new father. Between them, Gould says he and his wife (a member of the Kentucky National Guard who anticipates a summer deployment to Iraq) spend 10 to 15 days away from home each month.

"It's difficult," says Gould, which is why the relationships he formed with Steve Bequette, director of Public Safety; Sam Preston, assistant director of Public Safety; and Tami Jaramillo Zuniga, Public Safety staff sergeant, meant so much to him. "All of them individually reached out beyond just being my leadership." 

Bequette and his family supplied baby toys and clothes. Preston picked up the phone to check in. And Jaramillo Zuniga invited the Goulds, who have little family in the area, to join hers for holidays. "He became like my adopted son," Jaramillo Zuniga says.

Which brings us back to that "thank you."

Before he left USI in early January, Gould once again found what he was looking for when he learned of a Department of Defense recognition bestowed upon employers who support employees, like him, who are members of the National Guard and Army Reserve. Months after his initial request that USI's Public Safety leadership team be acknowledged, Gould returned to campus on Tuesday, February 19, 2019, with a representative of ESGR (Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve) to surprise his former supervisors and friends.

"It made me feel really good that I could let them know how much I appreciate them," Gould says.

"It was humbling," says Bequette. "It was really good to see him."

"Our department's small enough that we really are a family. We still take care of each other, so it was nice having him back," adds Jaramillo Zuniga, who remains in close touch with Gould and his family.

"As much as he humbled us with this award, he probably deserves recognition for everything that he does and that guys like him do," she says. "It's a real challenge to balance work, home and family, and the Reserves, and most of us don't have a clue how much talent that really takes to be able to balance those three pieces."

Life may get even more challenging soon. Gould plans to complete his associate's degree by June, finish his contract with the Reserves soon after and then begin the selection process for the Air Force Pararescue, training to complete demanding rescue missions around the world.

Wherever life takes him, you can bet Gould's USI Public Safety family will be pulling for him-every step of the way.

Read more about Gould's time at USI, including his rescue of a toddler locked in a hot car in the summer of 2018