PLANT CITY, Fla. — A Hillsborough County school resource deputy is being recognized this month for his decades of service keeping county public school students safe, as well as being a positive influence on those same students.
- Deputy Victor Vasquez a Hillsborough school resource deputy for 21 years
- Assigned to Tomlin Middle School in 2004
- Vasquez also honored with Viva Tampa Bay Hispanic Heritage award
It’s lunchtime at Tomlin Middle School. The smell of tater tots fills the air as students make their way into the cafeteria.
Deputy Victor Vasquez patrols the hallway, saying 'hi' to everyone he sees.
“It’s the best school ever! Yeah!” he exclaims to a group of girls walking by.
Vasquez has been a school resource deputy at the school since January 2004. His career with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, however, began decades before that.
In that time, he’s become like family to thousands of current and former students.
"Some of these kids call me either 'Uncle' or 'Tio,'" he said.
Enforce the law ... and good grades
In his 21 years of being a Hillsborough County school resource deputy, he's seen generations come and go.
“I've been to some weddings, quinceaneras. I went to one funeral. I’ll never do that again,” he said.
He may be there to enforce the law, but one of his biggest priorities is enforcing good grades.
“You guys passing?” he asks a group of sixth graders.
“I got As and Bs,” the student replied.
“As and Bs? All right! When that report card comes, I want to see it,” he said.
Hoped to positively influence children
Now, Vasquez is being recognized for his hard work in keeping the school safe and encouraging students to succeed. He’s been named the county's "Hispanic Deputy of the Year" and been awarded the Viva Tampa Bay Hispanic Heritage Award.
He told us that he originally wanted to become an SRO because of the influence he could have on the kids.
“I truly do believe that this is one of the most proactive positions our agency has, because I get a chance to see kids when they’re still very influenced by what they see and what they hear,” he said.
Half of the students at Tomlin Middle School are Hispanic, and many of the students’ families are migrant farm workers.
That resonated with Vasquez, whose parents were also migrant farm workers.
“I know what it’s like to be a Hispanic growing up in a family that works out in the farms picking vegetables and stuff like that," Vasquez explained. "There’s another world out there that’s opened up for [these students], but they have to value the education and take advantage of it."
He takes his mentorship role very seriously for that very reason.
“I don’t have any kids of my own, so I tell the parents, or when the kids ask me, ‘Do you have any kids?’ I'm like, ‘Yeah. I got 1,600 of you.”