Reyn Returns

WHEN Reyn Catala ’91 saw that UP was hiring a campus security officer, he knew he had to apply. He’d recently retired from a career in law enforcement and was looking for a position that would fit the work-life balance he wanted.

“What a treat I thought it would be to come back,” he said. “It’d be full circle.”

Reyn grew up in Honolulu and remembers being impressed by his uncle, who was a police officer. He was in eighth grade when he thought that might be a path he could follow. He’d started to see a line being drawn among his peers—there were the kids who were starting to get into trouble with drugs and alcohol and the ones who were keeping their heads down and staying straight.

“My uncle told us that if we got into trouble, we shouldn’t come calling to him,” he said. “That made an impression on me.”

At UP, Reyn majored in criminal justice and interned with the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office. He never looked back. For more than thirty years, he cycled through various arms of the law, from corrections, to patrol, to investigations of fraud and HR violations. A strong believer that variety is the spice of life, he always had his eye open for new opportunities.

“I liked the puzzle-solving aspect of investigations,” he said. “Building cases, making them airtight. Catching the bad guys gives me a high degree of satisfaction.”

Now, while out on patrol, making sure students are safe, Reyn wears his large class ring, a reminder of his roots on The Bluff and the pride he has in them.