Olivia Couto ’26 - U.S. Marshals Service

Finding Her Future on the Line of Duty

Olivia Couto ’26, a Criminal Justice major at Rivier University and a member of the Raiders softball team, wants to pursue a career she finds exciting, challenging, and focused on serving others.

That’s exactly what she found last summer when she reported to the U.S. Marshals Service in Providence, R.I., for a Criminal Justice internship. As the nation’s oldest federal law enforcement agency, the U.S. Marshals Service supports the federal courts and carries out missions such as fugitive apprehension and judicial security.

Several days a week, Couto commuted from her hometown in Massachusetts to observe federal agents and learn about their work firsthand. Her most memorable moments included a tour of the nearby FBI facility, as well as late-night briefings where agents planned the apprehension of a fugitive with an arrest warrant.

In those briefings, Couto joined the team huddles and then watched the operation safely from the backseat of a federal vehicle.

“I could see the excitement and the adrenaline from all the people involved, and how much effort it takes to do that kind of work, but the payoff is so rewarding. Through the internship, I learned a lot about what I want to do after I graduate,” she says.

Before her internship, Couto envisioned a career as a small-town police officer. After her experience with the U.S. Marshals Service, she hopes to someday join their ranks as a federal agent. She is currently in the selection process for the Massachusetts State Police.

“This internship taught me about building meaningful relationships with professionals who can speak to my character and work ethic,” Couto says. “I also learned that no matter your title, everyone on the team has a meaningful part to play. Impact is not defined by rank, but by how well you fulfill your responsibilities. These are lessons that will guide me in my career and in life.”

What began as a summer internship became a turning point. Couto discovered her strengths, clarified her ambitions, and embraced the value of integrity in every task, big or small. These principles now serve as the foundation for the future she intends to build in law enforcement.