Gerard Johansen with his 2-year-old Dutch Shepherd, Gunnar.

Sometimes, acknowledging what you don’t like can lead you down the path to what you were meant to do. When Gerard Johansen graduated from Bethel High School in 1995, he enlisted in the Connecticut National Guard, completed his active-duty training, and became a member of the Army National Guard. Back home in Connecticut, he was working in retail at the Danbury Fair Mall when he decided that pursuing a business degree might prepare him for his future.

“From a cost and convenience perspective, Western Connecticut State University made sense,” Johansen said. “It was the perfect fit for me because I was an older student and it was convenient to commute from my home in Bethel.”

Enrolled as a Business major in the AACSB-accredited Ancell School of Business, Johansen was enjoying his studies until he encountered Accounting. “I told my Management Information Systems professor, Dr. Marie Wright, that I wasn’t digging Accounting, and she walked me over to the Justice and Law Administration office,” Johansen recalled. “I changed my major to JLA, Law Enforcement, and the rest, as they say, is history.”

Johansen originally envisioned finding a job on the West Coast working for a private protection agency, among other options. He applied to the Connecticut State Police — a process that takes at least two years — and while he waited, he continued his JLA coursework.

“It was amazing to me how many different backgrounds the JLA faculty had at WestConn,” Johansen said. “For a small state school, the professors had had incredible careers in law enforcement, corrections and as attorneys. I was able to receive a lot of insight into what these jobs actually entailed.”

Just about the time Johansen started thinking that law school might be in his future, he heard from the State Police and was offered an opportunity.

“The State Police contacted me during what was my last year at WestConn,” Johansen said. “I worked for 10 years, starting at Troop A in Southbury, then as a New Fairfield Resident Trooper and then to the Computer Crime Unit. I took a lot of Information Security and Management Information Systems classes, and completed my WCSU degree in 2005. At that time, I was assigned as a resident trooper,  but two months later, I was transferred to the Computer Crime Unit. I then went on to complete a master’s degree in Information Assurance at Norwich University, the country’s oldest private military college.”

After a decade with the State Police, Johansen branched out to work in industry, including jobs at the Cisco Talos Intelligence Group, and at a computer security service based in Denver. He also runs a cybersecurity consulting business from his home in Rapid City, South Dakota. Since graduating from WCSU, Johansen has gone on to receive several graduate-level certificates, licenses and certifications. He’s also completing the 4^th edition of “Digital Forensics and Incident Response.”

Approaching 30 years since he enrolled at WestConn, Johansen said, “Overall, it was a very positive experience. The small class sizes make a difference, and the police academy academics were a breeze because WCSU had me well-prepared for the academy. Looking back, it was crazy to have those kinds of professionals from so many different fields as instructors. Everyone was supportive and a nice group of people, which led to a very positive experience. The big thing is that it really set me up for career success later in life.”

Western Connecticut State University changes lives by providing all students with a high-quality education that fosters their growth as individuals, scholars, professionals and leaders in a global society. Our vision: To be widely recognized as a premier public university with outstanding teachers and scholars who prepare students to contribute to the world in a meaningful way.