In the cold, bustling city of Chicago, warmth and love emanate from the Gomez household over a shared meal as Coppell High School Resource Officer Sarah Gomez bonds with her family.
But deep down, she longs for her home hundreds of miles away in Coppell.
Gomez was born in Dallas and grew up in Coppell for most of her life. She moved to Chicago after her freshman year of high school to be closer to her family. She lived there for three years before moving back to attend Texas Tech University.
Gomez found her way back to Coppell.
“I knew once I left that I was going to come back here one day because I loved being in this city,” Gomez said. “I loved it as a student. I loved it as a kid, growing up and riding my bike around the neighborhood. I loved it. So I knew that one day I was going to try and come back here.”
Following her return to Coppell, Gomez taught STEM and coached athletics at Coppell Middle School East due to her desire to help students.
After teaching for a few years, Gomez followed a different calling: law enforcement. Her reason for switching careers stems from both her love for helping students and her family, with both her father and stepfather having been police officers for more than 20 years.
“I’ve been around law enforcement my whole life,” Gomez said. “So I think that encouraged me to pursue that, and then try and find the happy medium of being in the schools and being around students and making an impact that way, but also pulling in the law enforcement side where I can help protect our city and our community and our kids here.”
To Gomez, being a teacher and a police officer are not so different. Both allow her to teach students and help them make good decisions.
“I wanted to be in the schools, even as a police officer,” Gomez said. “I want to make an impact on kids in a positive way and help you guys kind of figure out what you’re doing.”
Gomez’s background as a student in Coppell shaped her relationships with the students and community. She guides students with her own past experiences, while also providing advice from the lens of an adult.
“She’s definitely a caretaker, a problem solver, wants to fix things,” CHS Student Services North receptionist Amy Praytor said. “She relates well to the kids, but she also holds them to a high standard.”
Apart from being a police officer, Gomez has been considering joining the Marine Corps. Gomez’s father wanted to join, but was unable to due to an injury. Now, Gomez carries on his aspiration. Gomez wants to carry out her father’s passion. He was unable to join the Marine Corps due to an injury.
“Growing up, my dad had always told me, ‘Hey, if you want to be the best you can be and challenge yourself, you should go to the Marine Corps,’” Gomez said. “I think he was trying to push it on me to try and go be successful and kind of live vicariously through me.”
Gomez’s dedication and effort in everything she does is apparent to those around her. She strives to be a helpful and supportive presence for others.
“She is easy to work with, easy to talk to,” CHS School Resource Officer Reggie Walker said. “She wants to help. She wants to make things better, when no one else is looking, she will work. She will give her best effort, no matter how big or small the issue may be.”
Gomez’s impact is seen on students as well as faculty. Junior Emma Praytor, a member of the Cowgirls softball team, had Gomez as a coach in middle school, and built a close bond with her.
“I feel like a lot of my character, I learned it from her,” Praytor said. “Her coming to my games helps her coach me up on certain things I can do better, not even about softball, just about how I act, and how I can be a better teammate, be a better person.”
Throughout her careers as a teacher and police officer, Gomez continues to help her peers through experience, kindness and a passion for helping others.
“I’m a very protective person by nature,” Gomez said. “The people I care about, I like to protect. And so being here, I care about all of y’all. I care about all of our staff. I care about our community.”
Follow @CHSCampusNews on X.
