MST2 Christopher Villaverde

ehash Job description: Inspections division, Coast Guard Sector New York.

ehash Personal: 25-year-old reservist, New York City police officer, American Eagle Force Cadet Core volunteer.

ehash Villaverde grew up in a Coast Guard family, knowing from a young age that he wanted to serve.

ehash In fact, he deployed with his father, Reserve Cmdr. Sergio Villaverde, down to the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 to aid in cleanup following the Deepwater Horizon spill.

ehash Villaverde joined the Coast Guard Reserve in 2008. He chose to earn a degree from the City University of New York while serving at Sector New York, then join the New York Police Department after graduation.

ehash Today he’s attached to the inspection division at Sector New York while patrolling the Bronx as a beat cop during the work week. In his spare time, Villaverde focuses on leading the next generation down the right road.

ehash “I grew up in the Bronx, so I knew that any which way you can go can lead to a wrong path,” he told Navy Times. “I’m also a cop in that community. I’ve seen all types of stuff — one wrong move at a young age can lead you to a totally different path that you don’t want to go down.”

ehash Villaverde has been involved in several community organizations, including his local American Eagle Force Cadet Core, a junior ROTC program. Fellow volunteer Evelyn Navarro said his military background commands instant respect from the kids.

ehash “He taught them about the water, and how to talk on the radios, and what he was learning in the Coast Guard,” she said. “They were amazed.”

ehash Villaverde is studying to take his E-6 exam, and he’s planning to take the police department’s sergeant’s exam as soon as possible.

ehash “I want to rank up as high as I can,” he said. “That way I can make some changes that would benefit the community and the cops themselves.”

ehash