Indeed, women who choose to become Border Patrol agents are trailblazers: Right now, females make up just 5.4 percent of the Border Patrol agent workforce of 12,967. Within that group of 693, there are 398 Hispanics, 275 Caucasians, 10 African-Americans, six Asian-Americans, and four Native Americans. Even looking across the organization at CBP’s officer ranks, the female representation is much higher: 19.8 percent of officers are women.

Why do women join the Border Patrol? Senior Patrol Agent Melissa Herrera (Fabens, Tex.) says it’s “something I’ve always wanted to do since I was a child.” Agent Janet Villa, also in Fabens, adds, “I joined the Border Patrol because of the diversity of duties the Border Patrol has to offer, and because it is very exciting job with great rewards.” Samantha Williams (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) joined because she “thought it sounded like an exciting job with great potential.”

Women can enjoy a rewarding career in the Border Patrol, and CBP wants to get the word out. “Over the next two years, we’d like to see the numbers of women and African-American, Asian-American, and Native American Border Patrol agents rise steeply,” says CBP Special Assistant for Equal Employment Opportunity Franklin C. Jones. “Especially with our goal of hiring 6,000 new Border Patrol agents by the end of 2008, it’s time to bring their representation up to the levels that we see in other federal law enforcement agencies.”

At the FBI, for example, 18.5 percent of agents are women; females comprise 13.3 percent of ATF agents; and women make up 10.5 percent of Secret Service agents.

It’s not necessarily easy for women to break into the nearly all-male culture, but they can do it. When Herrera went from basic training to her first duty station, she felt that most of the men were cautious about working with a woman. After having worked with her, she says, “they treat me as an equal.” Villa says: “Everyone treated me and my two other (female) classmates with a great deal of respect.”

Williams’ perspective falls somewhere in the middle: “At our station we all faced the same challenge of proving ourselves to our new partners.”

Border Patrol Assistant Chief Ramon Rivera comments that all trainees are scrutinized carefully by their peers—“not because of gender, but because they are new and there is an interest to see how well they can prove themselves.”

And prove themselves they do. Women have a great deal of opportunity for advancement in the Border Patrol, says Herrera. Rivera adds, “As the Border Patrol grows in size, there is a great deal of opportunity for any applicant who is talented, hardworking, and driven to succeed.”

What kind of person does it take to become a Border Patrol agent? “We’re looking for highly patriotic Americans who are adventurous go-getters,” says Jones. “And when it comes to women, the prospective candidate needs to believe that she can do anything a man can do, because the physical fitness requirements in the Border Patrol are the same for women as for men.”

For her part, Williams believes that, at least in basic training, women “definitely have to work harder and be more aggressive than most of us would naturally be.” Further, she says, women have to think more carefully than men about risk; they “especially need to be…smarter about the physical situations they put themselves in because we are very often at a size disadvantage.” Nevertheless, she says, the tools of enforcement—handcuffs, pepper spray, baton and firearm—“are great equalizers…and we are trained to use them all just as the men are.”

Villa feels that she worked harder in basic training than average, but “only because I wanted to prove to the guys that I can do whatever they can do.”

The best thing about of basic training, say agents, is the lifelong friendships that one forms there, as well as the sense of achievement gained from the experience. Williams describes her satisfaction with “the friendships I made that continue to this day and the sense of accomplishing something that was truly challenging.” She also especially enjoyed emergency response driver’s training.

There is no career quite like that of a Border Patrol agent, says CBP National Recruitment Director Joe Abbott. “It’s the only profession in the nation specifically aimed at preventing terrorists and other criminals from entering the United States outside the formal crossing points into this country.” Among other activities, agents in this occupation—considered “mission-critical” by CBP—prevent human and drug smuggling.

Plus, the income potential is very good, says Abbott. “Not only do agents earn a starting salary of between $35,000 and $45,000 per year, but they are eligible for up to an additional 25 percent of basic salary each year in overtime pay. That’s great money in the Southwest (where all agents are initially stationed).”

Asked to give her advice to women considering a career in the Border Patrol, Villa says, “I would say that if this is something they can see themselves doing, then they should do their best and not give up on their goals.” But then again, she says, gender has nothing to do with it: “Actually, this is the same advice I gave to my younger brother, who is currently in the Border Patrol Academy. Completing the academy and graduating all depends on a persons drive to excel and achieve goals, not what sex they are.”

Herrera is more watchful of the gender factor; she says that women should “be aware of how they conduct themselves at the training and in the field.”

Williams disagrees; she says that whether men treat her as an equal “really depends on the individual personalities” and how well she meets the requirements of the job. “If you show that you’re a hard worker, that you are willing to jump in and help out your partner, whether he’s doing paperwork or getting somebody on the ground and into handcuffs, and you don’t have any glaring personality defects that make you unbearable to tolerate for more than eight hours at a time, you will find that most agents will be happy to work with you.”

The list of requirements to become a Border Patrol agent is short: The organization is looking for U.S. citizens with a valid driver’s license under the age of 40. A bachelor's degree is optional: Border Patrol Agents can pursue their education while serving, and many have completed their degree while working full time.

Border Patrol Agent Wendi S. Lee, located near the Southwest border in San Diego, Calif., adds that the Border Patrol is an organization with intense camaraderie and loyalty—very rewarding for people who want to be part of a strong team. “It’s an intense environment,” says Lee. “Very much like a family. After two years of academy and on-the-job training, it really does become your life.”

Women and minorities who join the Border Patrol ranks now, notes Jones, have an opportunity to serve as pioneers for others who may be considering a career in the agency but are daunted from applying. “It’s not necessarily the easiest thing in the world to be the only woman or Black person in your academy class,” he says, “but it’s worth it. You are doing something good for the country and you are paving the way for others who want to follow in your path.”