University News

Just Hired: Octavio Lopez

April 9, 2026

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Just Hired! Through the experiences of local, regional, national, and international students, Western Illinois University has incredible alumni who are making an impact in the workforce. This series features students from around the world who are hired post-graduation.

MACOMB, IL – Meet Octavio Lopez, a ‘25 Law Enforcement and Justice Administration (LEJA) graduate, newly hired at the DuPage County Sheriff's Office based in Wheaton, IL.

Lopez first heard about the opportunity through the WIU Law Enforcement and Justice Administration career fair. He applied in April 2025 and was officially hired in November 2025. His hiring process included a written exam, a psych evaluation, a physical, several blood and drug tests and multiple interviews.

He feels his time at WIU and his major in LEJA prepared him well for this role.

"I learned so many things during my time at WIU. One of the biggest things that will always stick with me was learning how to read nonverbal behavior and also how to talk to people that may be uncooperative. Mastering that can help you out in any area of Law Enforcement, whether it's corrections, patrol, investigations, etc.," Lopez said.

Lopez plans to stay involved with WIU by keeping up to date with new events and opportunities.

For more information on WIU's LEJA program, visit wiu.edu/leja.

To share your hiring story with WIU, visit go.wiu.edu/4eVgEuw.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing