Aiming to become police officer, service-minded Army National Guardsman pursuing criminal justice degree at Alvernia

Growing up, Spc. Rocky Diaz ’29 always knew he wanted to serve in the military.

While at Reading High School, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) program, where he earned a community service award for logging over 200 hours of service during one school year.

He then enlisted in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, allowing him to continue with his military experience while pursuing a civilian career. Today, following boot camp at Fort Sill, Okla., and training at Fort Lee, Va., he serves as a wheeled vehicle mechanic with the 328th Logistics Support Battalion.

Diaz chose to major in criminal justice at Alvernia to aid his plans to become a police officer, specifically a K-9 officer.

“I just want to help the community,” he said. “I'm a community person at heart. I grew up here in Reading. I know a lot of people; I get along with a lot of people. Growing up with these people, I understand where they're coming from. So I feel like being a cop would be right up my alley since I would be able to handle situations better than other cops who haven't lived here.”

A spiritual person, Diaz appreciates the university’s Franciscan Values. It also helps that the Reading Police Academy resides in Alvernia’s Upland Center. Though police officers don’t need college degrees, he believes having one will give him a step up if he wants to pursue any specialized areas. Even if it’s going to give him quite the full plate.

“I'm juggling a bit here,” he admitted. “In the in the next couple months, I am going to apply to the police academy. Once I go through that, I might take a semester off or do some online classes, but I'm going to go with the schedule that I get while pursuing my degree.”

Until his scheduled discharge in 2030, Diaz will fulfill his National Guard service commitment of one weekend a month plus two weeks in the summer. He may re-enlist, but right now his main goal is becoming a police officer.

"This Veterans Day, Rocky's story reminds us that the strength of our nation rests in the willingness of ordinary individuals to serve a cause greater than themselves,” said Col. (Ret.) Deborah Geiger, military recruitment and student success coordinator at Alvernia’s Veterans Center. “As a National Guard Soldier, Alvernia student and aspiring police officer, Rocky exemplifies a lifelong commitment to service, leadership and the protection of the communities he calls home."

Diaz was one of two student veterans who spoke at Alvernia’s 2026 Veterans Day Ceremony. In his remarks, he discussed how keeping the unit’s vehicles running is not the flashiest job but one that must be done right if the mission is going to work, and he noted that being in the Guard has given him a different way of looking at service.

“It’s not just about being ready for big deployments,” he said during the ceremony. “It’s about showing up for your community every month, training with the same people, and knowing that what we do directly supports the state and the people around us. … I’m proud to stand with every soldier, past and present, who answered the call and I’m grateful the Guard has given me the chance to serve my community while I work toward protecting it as a police officer one day.”