Charlotte Thompson

I became a lieutenant with the Florida Highway Patrol, which I consider one of my biggest accomplishments in my career. Beyond my work in law enforcement, I founded a 501(c)(3) mentorship program that is deeply personal to me. In my younger life, I became a teen mom, but I was fortunate to have the support of my mom and dad. After I got pregnant, they told me they were going to take the baby and help me take a life for myself. Both my parents are deceased now, but they helped me raise my son and gave me the foundation I needed to succeed. As I got older, riding up and down the streets and seeing other teen moms who probably did not have the support that I had, I felt called to give back. I am also actively involved in professional organizations including Noble and the National Coalition of Black State Troopers. I found my heroes in my parents and my grandparents, not in basketball players or football players, because my parents instilled family values in me. So many kids can't identify with their parents as heroes, but I was blessed to have that foundation.