ORLANDO, Fla. —  Meet Orlando Police Sergeant Yong Hall, a 15-year veteran of the police force, living his dream as a police officer.

"I know it’s cliché. It’s one of those things as a kid. I was always fascinated with police officers," he said.

That dream started when he moved to the United States from South Korea when he was 2 years old. After growing up in Detroit and spending his early adulthood working in the auto industry, he knew it was his time to wear the badge.

"I always felt like I was that person that had that calling to be the person to do the job," Hall said.

That's why he decided to move to Florida in 2006 to join the Orlando Police Department. He brought more than just hard work and determination, but also his culture as an Asian American. That diversity became his focus when he worked his way up to being a recruiting officer for the agency, aiming to hire police officers who reflect the community.

"There’s not many of us, so it was nice to be a part of the team to represent the Korean Americans," Hall said. "So we want to definitely hire people that know the community, understand the community, and feel one with the community."

The job was not always easy though, especially after the death of George Floyd and the subsequent protests.

Hall said the police career has not been the popular career to get into, but there’s still a lot of people out there that want to make a difference in their community and it’s a calling. And that calling is still something Sergeant Hall feels everyday.

"I've been at OPD for 15 years and I still love it. I still get excited when there’s an emergency channel that goes out."

And he hopes that drive never goes away nor his impact on the Orlando community.

"Hopefully, during the time that I was here, I made a change and a difference in people’s lives," Hall said.