From High School Volunteer to Professor: Alan Saquella Helps Train the Next Generation of Security Experts at Embry-Riddle

Description

At Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Prescott campus, the classroom looks a little different. Crime scene tape, forensic kits, and lie detection equipment are just a few of the tools students use as they prepare for careers in global security, intelligence, cybersecurity, and forensic science.

Leading these immersive, hands-on programs is Professor Alan Saquella, a seasoned investigations expert who has turned decades of fieldwork into a teaching mission: helping students launch meaningful, high-impact careers in public safety and security.

Saquella’s own journey started in an unlikely place, a high school McDonald’s where a conversation with an off-duty officer led to volunteer undercover work investigating campus drug activity. That early experience ignited a lifelong passion for solving problems, uncovering truth, and using evidence to drive action.