She dreamed of being a Madison police officer "since the age of 8," but needed a bit of help to realize that dream

MADISON -- When we were little, we all dreamed about what we wanted to be when we grew up. A Madison woman's dream job was finally within reach -- but it took some help from a Wisconsin non-profit.

"Since the age of eight, I've always wanted to be a police officer, but not just a police officer. I wanted to be an officer with Madison Police Department," Lyjya Miles said.

Miles grew up on Madison's east side and said it was the positive impact officers made on her neighborhood that inspired her dream.

"It was the things that the Madison Police Department did for me that I don't think the officers realized they did that affected my life and helped me become who I am today," Miles said.

Becoming an officer didn't come easy for Miles. Initially, she didn't pass a test given to MPD applicants.

"When it comes to things like reading, speed reading, that's kind of where I struggled a little bit, but that's definitely where the Literacy Network came out and helped me," Miles said.

Like the Literacy Network's new building in Madison, many of the people who seek out their services are a work in progress.

"There's 55,000 people here in Dane County who could use our services. Right now we're serving about 1,000 students each year, and really it's not enough. We've got to be able to serve more. We have to be ready for them, which is where this building kind of came into play," Jen Davie said.

Davie said the larger, more versatile building will help someone like Miles reach their goals.

"It's really a person blossoming and understanding that 'I can do this!'" Davie said.

Miles couldn't agree more.

"The talents were there. I just needed someone to tell me that they were there. Nothing is impossible and nothing worth having comes easy," Miles said.