Texas Crime Stoppers Council named Cooper Aranda, a senior at Odessa High School and a member of the Odessa Student Crime Stoppers, its student advisor this summer. Odessa FOX affiliate KPEJ Channel 24 reported that Aranda is the first to hold the position in the history of Texas Crime Stoppers.
"Super proud of the young man,” Odessa Crime Stoppers said in a Facebook post on Friday."
According to the post, Aranda’s appointment was made possible by a unanimous vote from the council. Odessa Crime Stoppers said Aranda has been with the Odessa Student Crime Stoppers since he was a 6th-grader at Crockett Middle School in the Ector County Independent School District (ECISD). He was chosen to be a student ambassador for the state as a 13-year-old in 2020, the organization said in the post. The Texas Crime Stoppers Ambassador Program is geared toward youth involved in their Crime Stoppers community.
Aranda looked back in awe at his involvement with Crime Stoppers.
“It’s an incredible journey, one that has been many years now, started in the 6th grade and now getting to my senior year and being able to represent not just Crime Stoppers but every student across Texas, is such a huge responsibility and one that I’m ready for,” he said in a report from KPEJ.
His mother told the station he enjoys being a part of the organization.
“Being able to give to the community, he is able to participate in different ways to help the community, so he really enjoys that I am super proud of him and this program,” Maribel Aranda said.
Odessa Crime Stoppers reports that Ector County 70th District Judge Denn Whalen swore Cooper into the position on Friday.
“I like to strive for success, and if that entails being an advisor to the board, then that’s an amazing thing,” Aranda told KPEJ. “Crime Stoppers is, in my opinion, is such an amazing program across Texas.”