As it stands, Orange County Sheriff's Department Cmdr. Linda Solorza is the second highest ranking woman in the entire department.

Solorza said that despite her professional success she has never forgotten who she is and where she came from.  Her grandparents came to the US many years ago from Mexico, she said, and she is very proud of her Latina roots.

When her mom graduated from high school, she said, she was the first Hispanic homecoming queen the small town ever had.  Back then, small towns in rural Kansas weren't as progressive as they are today, there were places she was not permitted to go because of her ethnicity and gender.

Solorza thinks her grandmother would be shocked to see how much things have changed.

She even questioned whether to join the OCSD and wondered if a woman could handle the job.  Few worked in the department at that time, she said, and there aren't too many more that have been added to the ranks as of today.

She credits her rise in the department is largely due to those in her life that supported her.  This included coworkers, friends, family and of course, her parents.

Today, Solorza reportedly oversees the airport, emergency management, Homeland Security, the investigations division and the patrol division.

Her biggest driving force in wanting to do her job well relates to public safety.   Keeping schools, playgrounds and streets safe is an important job, she said, because it will help ensure the county's children remain out of harm's way.