December Explorer of the Month — Sgt. Mike Vargas Sgt. Mike Vargas started as a Patrol Officer at the Palatine Police Department. In the past 10 years, he has been promoted to Detective, Gang Crime Investigator, and then in 2001, the rank of Patrol Sergeant, where he continues to serve today. Sgt. Vargas is great Police Officer, but even more, he is an amazing person who has a heart to see the lives of young people impacted at a community and personal level. Sgt. Vargas has been a key component in the success of the Learning for Life program. He has served as the President of the Speaker’s Bureau for the past 2 years, and has been instrumental in networking with community leaders and recruiting professionals for speaker sessions in many of our in-school programs. Sgt. Vargas has been a speaker for a variety of our programs and continues to offer his expertise wherever needed. This year, he was awarded the Leadership Award at the Learning for Life Thank You Reception. In addition, he recently agreed to be a council-level speaker that will represent Learning for Life and the NWSC in the community. It is a great privilege to have Sgt. Vargas as a leading part of our team.