{"id":1412,"date":"2015-08-09T11:26:53","date_gmt":"2015-08-09T16:26:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/mpress\/?p=1412"},"modified":"2017-02-15T12:15:36","modified_gmt":"2017-02-15T18:15:36","slug":"brian-gant-03-to-protect-and-serve","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/mpress\/brian-gant-03-to-protect-and-serve\/","title":{"rendered":"Brian Gant, ’03: To Protect and Serve"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reading time: 2 minutes<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

In the movies, U.S. Secret Service agents wear black suits and earpieces, never break a smile, and are ready to jump into action to protect the President of the United States. That was the image Brian Gant, \u00a0\u201903, had in mind when he joined the federal agency in 2009.<\/p>\n

In the five years since, however, Gant has learned there is much more to the agency. In addition to protection, the U.S. Secret Service also handles investigations.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe investigate anything financially related to the United States\u2014counterfeit money, fraud,\u201d says Gant. \u201cMy focus is cybercrime, and with the high-profile intrusions we\u2019re having lately, it\u2019s a hotbed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Criminal justice was not originally on Gant\u2019s career radar. When he graduated from Maryville with a bachelor\u2019s in computer information systems, he expected to become a computer programmer. He began his career at the help desk of Edward Jones, a position he earned following his Maryville internship there. At the same time, he earned a master\u2019s degree in management.<\/p>\n

Nudged by a friend who worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Gant applied to that agency and accepted a position as an analyst. Using his computer skills, he deciphered information to support agents. After five years, however, he itched to get into the field and moved to the Secret Service.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m more of an extrovert and thought I would excel out into the field,\u201d Gant says. \u201cGoing on the search warrant, looking at evidence, and doing the physical training all appealed to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a few years, Gant will move to a protection detail with the U.S. Secret Service, an assignment that typically lasts about five years, and then finish out his career back in field investigations.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like being able to help people,\u201d Gant says. \u201cIt could just be getting a virus off a computer at a mom-and-pop shop or protecting a very important person. It all gives you a sense of pride.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This story was originally published in the Fall 2014 edition of<\/em> Maryville Magazine.<\/p>\n

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