Talisha Barlow Makes History as St. Cloud’s First Black Female Officer [VIDEO]

ST. CLOUD -- History was made when Talisha Barlow became St. Cloud's first black female officer.

The St. Cloud State University graduate says she's loved serving the community she's called home for the past several years.

"It's a lot more than I ever expected and I'm loving every moment of it," Barlow says.

"The best thing is meeting people from different backgrounds -- I feel like I'm always learning something new."

The Roseville native became a standout basketball player for the Huskies, but Barlow says her first passion was helping people.

"I always wanted to be [in] family counseling and help people in that dynamic," Barlow says. "To know that I can do that in this job and be out and moving around, it's better than being enclosed in an office."

Barlow got her master's degree in Criminal Justice at SCSU in 2013 and as far as being St. Cloud's first black female officer, she says she's humbled by the opportunity.

"Ever since I've gotten this exposure for being the first African-American female officer here, it's been nothing but support from the community," Barlow says. "It's nice when students, children or young adults come up to me and say that they're inspired by what I'm doing."

"It's great that I'm able to share that and be in this type of position where I can actually do that every day."