ECC Stories 2025 - Meet Brianna Farmer

When Elgin Community College (ECC) student Brianna Farmer decided to come to ECC after high school in 2023, she didn’t know what she wanted to do yet but had an inclination toward becoming a police officer.

“I’ve always wondered about getting into the police force,” Farmer said. “It’s something I feel I would not only be good at but wouldn’t mind doing the rest of my life.

At ECC, Farmer took Gen Eds, while exploring different classes, one of which confirmed she was headed toward the right career field all along. “I’m currently taking a forensic science class, and I definitely want to go more into that,” Farmer said. “I love the teacher, and it’s really interesting.”

With a solid direction, Farmer has more confidence in deciding if she wants to go to the police academy. “I’m interested in the whole umbrella,” Farmer said. “There could be something in there. I don’t know what specifically, but I’m interested.”

In addition to her favorite class, Farmer found herself busy as a full-time student balancing five classes and a full-time job at a nearby veterinarian emergency hospital. When she was in high school, Farmer received her certification as a vet technician. After interning at the hospital in Crystal Lake, they held a spot for her to come to be an employee after she turned 18.

Farmer continues to forge forward, aiming to graduate in the Spring of 2026 and transfer to Northern Illinois University (NIU). Learn more about a future police force member below!

What’s one thing you like to do outside of ECC? I recently got into Tai Boxing. I go there around two times a week, and it’s a really good workout. Other than that, I’ll do weightlifting; I like working out a lot.

What did you want to be when you were growing up? When I was a kid, I wanted to sing and be a pop star!

Dogs, cats, or houseplants? Cats, but I have nine pets in total. I have two birds, two cats, and five dogs. There are six of us in my family, including me, so each of us has our own pets. I have the birds, and my siblings take care of the rest. My mom had a bird growing up, so I got one, too, a really long time ago. It ended up passing away, and I wanted another one. Now I have two, and they are 20 years old and 12 years old. I like them; they’re very sassy!

What’s one thing that really makes your day? Honestly, it's just human interaction like this. Genuine human interaction with no phones, just a nice conversation. You set yourself every day in a schedule, I think everyone in college does. We are going at our set pace, and some of us are really fast. In my case, it’s very fast-paced, so to have a conversation like this slows you down, and that’s pretty nice.

What’s your favorite meal to cook or eat out? My grandma’s enchiladas. She makes them with tomato sauce instead of the traditional green salsa. I’m the only one who likes that, and if she makes a full Tupperware, I’ll eat it all, any day. 

Shout out to an ECC staff member or peer! I’d like to shout out my forensics teacher, T.J. Coffield, and a good friend of mine who is also at ECC, Ian.