Applications are out now for youth interested in exploring careers in law enforcement. The New Haven FBI and Yale University Police Department are teaming up for the 6th Future Law Enforcement Youth Academy (FLEYA).

"The FLEYA Program has actually been referred to as the gold standard of youth programming for the FBI," says Charles Grady, a Public Affairs Specialist at the FBI.

Thirty selected students throughout Connecticut will participate in a week-long overnight camp chaperoned by law enforcement and FBI employees. Students will engage in classroom training and exercises that will expose them to careers in several law enforcement fields.

"We got to go into federal court and present our cases in front of an actual federal judge. And that was so cool because it gave me an idea of something I'd want to do in the future," says Ellie Antrobus, a student at Fairfield Ludlowe.

The program was created in 2016 to promote career paths in local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to youth. Students have the opportunity to learn the ins-and-outs of specific jobs as well as network with the experts training them.

"Since the program started, a number of our students have gone on to become interns at the FBI as well as the Yale Police Department," says JoAnn Benson, a Community Outreach Specialist at the FBI.

High school students age 16-18 are eligible to apply. The process includes an initial application and essay, followed by a couple rounds of interviews with academy staff. "Be who you are, be respectful, be kind because those are the key values I saw throughout the FLEYA program," says Daniel Martinez, of Greenwich High School.

Students who have participated say the program opened their minds to the many ways to work in the field. Moving forward, they have a much more clear path to reaching the positions they want.

"I just want to one day become a woman in law enforcement," says Nichole Machado, of Danbury High School.

For more information about how to apply before the March 31, click here.