Diana Clawson was 13 years old when she knew she wanted to be a member of the Secret Service.
"My family went on a spring break trip to Washington, D.C., and I saw people standing on the tops of buildings, and I asked my parents what they were doing," Clawson said. "They told me, and that's when I knew.
"Now years later, Clawson, who has lived in Hastings for about a year, is getting ready to report for training with the Secret Service, realizing her dream and completing a decade-long journey.
Clawson stayed on track throughout college at Minnesota State University, Mankato, taking a law enforcement program known as track two, which is geared toward serving in the federal law enforcement system.
Many people think they know what they want to do with their lives when they show up at college, but majors and interests tend to change like the seasons.
Not for Clawson.Her friends at school were against her going the federal law enforcement route. Many of them took the program geared more toward local law enforcement, or track one. But despite their criticism, she stuck with it.
"The temptation to throw in the towel was there," Clawson said. "But I couldn't think of anything else I wanted to do."
In 2005, she graduated with a B.A. in Spanish and track one law enforcement, and a B.S. in track two law enforcement and political science.Without wasting much time, Clawson applied to the Secret Service through the Minneapolis branch. She submitted an application, and a few months later was interviewing with the person in charge of the Minneapolis Secret Service.
Most jobs require one, maybe two interviews before a decision is made. The Seci-et Service has a 12-step interview process, which for Clawson lasted two years.
"It could have ended at that initial intervigw," she said.
Fortunately for Clawson, it didn't.Afler her initial interview, she had to take a written test, then another interview, followed by a panel interview.
The next step was especially difficult — a five-hour polygraph test. When asked if it took place in a small, dark, room with one bright light beating down on her, Clawson just laughed.
"Everyone asks me that!" she said. "No, all the lights were on."
The person who administered the polygraph was all business. There was no small talk at the beginning; he jumped right into the test.
"It was nerve-racking," she said. "You know you're telling the truth, but they make you feel like you're doing something wrong."
Then came medical and physical tests and finally "a lot of paper work." When Clawson was offered the job, it didn't feel real.
"For two years the application process had been part of my life," she said. "It felt weird to get an answer. When they first offered (the job) to me, it felt like they were just telling a story, like it wasn't happening to me."
Clawson recognizes she is going into a male-dominated field, but she doesn't seem to mind.
"That doesn't deter me one bit," she said.
Clawson will begin the first half of her training on Monday in Georgia. The second half will be done in Virginia. The entire training process will last about six months.
While her schooling in Mankato was mainly in a classroom setting, her training with the Secret Service will be more situational and tactical.
After she completes her training, Clawson will be stationed at the White House and the Naval Observatory. Her ultimate goal is to become a Special Agent on presidential detail, although she understands that at first she'll likely get stuck doing "dirty work" as a rookie.
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