Hi boys and girls! My name is Lance Williams and I'm a Special Agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration in Los Angeles, California. Before I became a Special Agent, I worked as an Investigator for the state of New Jersey and I also taught high school English and coached high school basketball. I've been very lucky because I have been able to do the two things that I've always wanted to do, which is teach and work with kids and also work in law enforcement. When I was growing up, I knew I wanted to work at a job where I could help people and I am very happy with the careers I have chosen. My parents were very active and involved with my younger sister and I when we were growing up, and they provided me a lot of different experiences as a youngster. I was involved in sports (basketball, baseball and soccer), church activities, scouting, and music. I think it's important for young people to do a lot of different things and meet all types of people because it will really help you as you get older and start to really explore life. Playing sports allowed me to learn good sportsmanship, the value of working hard to get your body in excellent physical condition, and to challenge yourself in tough spots. The church helped me learn about God and how we should work together to make the world he created a better place. Being involved with the scouts was a lot of fun because I went to summer camp where I enjoyed swimming, fishing, and camping out.

It is very important for you to remember that you must work hard to prepare yourself for whatever career you may want to pursue. I always worked hard to keep my grades up and I was fortunate enough to earn an athletic scholarship for basketball to college. Because I was always involved in sports it was not hard for me to stay away from alcohol and drugs, even though I knew a lot of people who did. I knew that I wanted to go to college and play basketball and I didn't want to do anything that might prevent me from achieving that goal. Also, I never wanted to do anything that would hurt my mother and father, like using drugs, getting arrested, driving drunk, or anything else that I would regret later. To become a DEA Special Agent you must be drug-free, have good character, be honest, in good physical condition, and willing to work very hard.

I work as a Demand Reduction Coordinator right now, and as the Demand Reduction Coordinator, I work a great deal with students, parents, educators, political leaders and other law enforcement personnel.. I help teach parents how they can talk to their children about drugs and the dangers associated with them. I enjoy my job very much because I can apply my experiences from teaching to my job as the Demand Reduction Coordinator. I never knew that I would be doing the job of a DEA Special Agent, but I'm glad that I worked hard and didn't do anything when I was younger that could've prevented me from having one of the best jobs in the world! I hope you will continue to work hard, and maybe one day I'll be working with you!