James Quinto is the son of Marcelo and Nancy Quinto of Juneau, and is the biological son of Delma James of Fort Yukon. James is a police officer who lives in Juneau.
James Quinto has a three-part strategy for success.
“Always have goals,” he said, “and pursue those goals and don’t stop until you complete them.”
It’s a life lesson that helped him earn a criminal justice degree with help from a Doyon Foundation scholarship. James graduated from Portland State University in 1997 and joined the Juneau Police Department, where he’s employed today.
“Doyon Foundation scholarships made things a lot easier, knowing I didn’t have to worry about loans when I was done with college,” he said. Retaining the scholarships also helped motivate him to continue earning good grades.
Now with retirement from the police department just a couple of years away, James is achieving a new goal, with help once again from a Doyon Foundation scholarship: He was scheduled to complete training in December 2020 to earn a 100 Ton Marine Captain License through the Marine Transportation Program at the University of Alaska Southeast.
Licensure qualifies him to captain a tour boat offering whale watching and sightseeing. It’s a plan that recalls James’ growing-up years on the waters around Juneau, fishing with his father and appreciating the natural world.
“After 25 years of police service, I would like to captain a charter boat in Southeast Alaska with my daughter, Jamie,” James said. “It’s fun to see the excitement in the eyes of people who’ve never been on the water or seen the wildlife that I’ve grown up around.”
The prospect of working alongside his daughter is a bonus. “She’s always enjoyed being on the water with me and doing a lot of the same things,” he said.
The 100 Ton Marine Captain License is a U.S. Coast Guard license to captain a commercial boat carrying more than six passengers. The license is issued for operation of inspected vessels on most U.S. waterways.
The amount of sea service and the size of vessels an applicant has experience on are among factors in obtaining the credential. Police work, with its emphasis on safety and adhering to policy, has been a valuable foundation for his new line of work, James said: “I’ve definitely learned to do things on time and to follow through.”
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