Two years ago, 20-year-old Abbie Rutledge was driving on her way to work in Alabama when she saw the blue lights flashing behind her.

But what she didn’t know as she pulled over to the side of the road,  is that it would be one of the best things that ever happened to her. Alabama state trooper J.T. Brown pulled her over for speeding. But then she talked about how she couldn’t afford the ticket, so Officer Brown started talk to her about career options. They talked for about 15 minutes and then on her citation he wrote: “Promise me you’ll go to scrub or nursing school, and slow down, and I won’t give you a ticket”. So she decided that day to go to nursing school. 

And she recently graduated…and Officer Brown was there. She said she wanted him to see the impact he had on her!  She is now working as a surgical technician at the University of Alabama Birmingham Hospital.