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A natural sleuth, Dajiah Allen is always hungry to know more and find answers, and she credits The Neighborhood Academy and a particular teacher for her inquisitive nature.

“I love TNA. I always say that. My favorite teacher was Ms. Tweedy. She was extremely knowledgeable and would always go in-depth into the topics she was teaching. Ms. Tweedy would also go on interesting tangents that would make me ask more and more questions. She knew everything about everything, so I always joked that she was a secret FBI agent,” laughed Dajiah.

After graduating from TNA, Dajiah went on to Edinboro University, where she pinpointed her passion in criminal justice and her fascination in how people think.

“One of the first classes I took at Edinboro was The Psychology of Drugs and Human Behavior. This class really sparked my interest in the criminal justice side of things,” said Dajiah. “I ended up writing a research paper on arbitrary search and seizure practices used in law enforcement. It made me think of more questions that I wanted answers to.”

Dajiah likes to stay “in-the-know” and finds herself digging deep into important matters.

“I love reading up on things I don’t know about. If you don’t know something, you attack it with questions and research. I realize how complex some things are, and I always like to know both sides of every story,” said Dajiah. 

Dajiah currently works as a police officer for the City of Pittsburgh Police Department, and she is close to completing her official training.

“The entire application takes about a year. There are different interviews, tests, and evaluations that you must complete first. After you get accepted, you then move onto the training phase that lasts about eight months,” she said. “The training mode that I’m in now involves three phases: shadowing and observing, hands-on training, and then ‘on your own’ training where an officer shadows you.”

Dajiah credits TNA for more than just her thirst for knowledge, but her skill in communication.

“TNA helps you to be able to communicate with people. It sounds like a super small thing, but it is so huge. Being able to make connections is important. I know people that didn’t learn this skill. I moved on and they stayed put,” she said.