When Hillary Beitel talks about her path from Long Beach to a career in law enforcement, she doesn’t start with degrees or job titles. She starts with a tutoring center, a plate of snacks, and an organization full of people who showed up for her.
“Coming to the tutoring center in my 11th and 12th grade years, after school, I wasn’t just worrying about completing assignments or improving my grades,” she remembers. “I was also socializing with all the other students who would come, including the tutoring center coordinator, Maria Q. And of course, the food and snacks that would be provided if we came.”
Hillary joined Operation Jump Start (OJS) in the 8th grade back in 2015 and graduated from the program in 2020, after finishing her senior year at McBride High School. From there, she went on to earn her bachelor’s degree in Political Science and her Master’s in Public Administration, both from Cal State Long Beach. Today, she works in a law enforcement agency, with her sights set on crime analysis and, eventually, the FBI.
Like many first-generation students, Hillary came into college without a roadmap for how to pay for it, let alone navigate it. That’s where OJS stepped in.
“OJS helped me a lot with knowing the finance part of joining certain institutions,” she explains. “They made sure to break down and explain the different institutions that exist, what differentiates them from one another, and the expenses that come with being part of whichever institution.”
That guidance extended through her FAFSA application, where OJS walked her through exactly what kind of aid she could expect depending on where she enrolled. Armed with that information, Hillary made a decision that would shape her entire financial future: she started at community college before transferring to a university.
“I did not come from a background that could afford getting into debt that will later become a headache, and I am very happy I did that, thanks to OJS,” she says. The budgeting skills she picked up along the way—listing out expenses and finding places to cut back—are ones she still relies on today.
But it wasn’t just the practical skills that stuck with her. It was the people.
Being required to attend tutoring when her grades slipped felt like a punishment at first. Looking back, Hillary sees it differently. “It helped me learn to be a planner and learn to execute things accordingly,” she says. “That even applies in real-life situations. If you want to accomplish any goal in life, big or small, you need to strategize and plan in order to get that done.”
Her mentor made just as lasting an impact. “Having a mentor allowed me to feel understood and become more motivated,” Hillary shares. “I was very lucky to be paired up with a mentor who is a boss lady herself, and it only made me want to pick up some of her good qualities and habits that I know will help me also be a boss myself.”
For students currently in the program, Hillary’s advice is simple and hard-won: “Nothing in life comes easy. You have to work for things you really want, no matter how difficult things get. Hard times build character.”
And for anyone wondering whether OJS’s support has a shelf life, Hillary wants them to know it doesn’t. “Remember that OJS will always have your back, even years later, because that is the case for me,” she says. “Be very receptive to the information and resources OJS provides, because they really do prepare you for college.”
Outside of work, Hillary keeps a full life: she exercises, runs, dances through the occasional Zumba class, journals, reads, and dotes on her dogs and bunny. She’s also a firm believer in taking care of herself, from spa days to quiet moments of rest, calling it what keeps her relaxed and confident enough to keep chasing the next goal.
From the tutoring center to the FBI’s front door, Hillary’s story is a reminder of what OJS set out to do from the beginning: meet students where they are and stay in their corner long after graduation.
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