People / Spotlight on achievers

Debbie Torez, a captain in the Police Explorer program, has been selected to attend a three-week leadership academy at FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., next month.

Torez, 16, was one of 30 Explorers nationwide and the only student in Orange County to receive the honor.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Torez, an honors student who has been an Explorer for two years. “I thought my chances of getting it were slim, but I thought I would try, and it worked out.”

Torez attends Valencia High School and is student body president-elect for next fall.

Police Explorers are high school students who train with local police officers and help with activities such as crowd control. As captain of her post, Torez conducts inspections and leads training sessions. At the leadership academy next month, Torez will train with FBI and Secret Service representatives, attend presentations by military officials and do some sightseeing.

She was selected based on an essay about her experiences as an Explorer, four letters of recommendation and references, program officials said.

Torez has to pay for her plane ticket and some living expenses while she is at the academy, so her explorer group, Post 25, has been helping her raise money for the trip.