Title: Community Service Officer
Company: Pasadena Police Department
Location: Pasadena, CA United States

Karla Kauhola always dreamed of doing detective work for a police unit. She prepared for a career in law enforcement by volunteering at the police department and studying physiology, psychology, criminology, sociology and behaviors in social work.

During the course of her career as a community service officer, Ms. Kauhola faced many challenges, perhaps the most significant of which was not being taken seriously because she is a woman in a field that is predominantly male. In order to overcome this obstacle, she had to work even harder to gain the respect that she knew she deserved.

Ms. Kauhola did not initially think she’d want to work in corrections when she began her professional journey, but her ability to work well with people, especially children, made her perfect for the position. She attributes her success to her mother, who raised her to be the independent woman she is today. Ms. Kauhola is also proud to be apart of an organization called Collaborate Pasadena, which helps prepare children to be academically successful. Further, she teaches a seven-week, three-hour kids’ safety program to educate children on protecting themselves from strangers, fire safety, and the like.

Looking forward, Ms. Kauhola wants to be known as the kind of person who was able to forge ahead no matter what the circumstance, as well as someone who always gave her all to whatever she was doing.  Similarly, the advice she would share with the younger generation of women entering the workforce is to never give up and to keep moving forward.

Contact Karla Kauhola: