An Unexpected Encounter with the Director of the Secret Service
The other day, a group of Forest School heroes pulled up to Trilith for what they thought would be a tour.
Then they met a real-life superhero.
His name was Sean Curran, Director of the United States Secret Service.
Some of our heroes recognized him once they learned where they might have seen him before. On July 13, 2024, when a gunman opened fire at presidential candidate Donald Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Curran was part of Trump’s protective detail. In the now-famous images immediately after the shooting, Curran is one of the agents surrounding Trump as the Secret Service rushed him from the stage.
Today, Curran leads the entire Secret Service—more than 8,200 people charged with protecting our nation’s leaders and safeguarding the country’s financial systems.
And there he was, standing at Trilith, talking with our heroes.
Curran was in Georgia visiting places including Trilith and Chick-fil-A. What struck our heroes was how personable and approachable he was. Here was someone entrusted with enormous responsibility who was genuinely interested in talking with them and answering their questions.
A Quick History Lesson
The conversation also provides our heroes a quick history lesson. The Secret Service wasn’t originally created to protect presidents. President Abraham Lincoln approved its creation in 1865, on the very day he was assassinated, because counterfeit money had become a major threat to the country’s financial system after the Civil War. Presidential protection became part of its mission decades later.
That history made the encounter particularly meaningful.
What Makes a Hero?
At Forest, we call our learners heroes because we believe they are each on a Hero’s Journey. But that doesn’t mean heroes wear capes or possess superpowers. Real-life heroes are people who accept responsibility, develop their gifts, serve others, and step forward when circumstances demand courage.
Our heroes got to meet someone who has done exactly that.
A normal tour of Trilith unexpectedly became a chance to shake hands with a man who stood between a gunman and a leader—and who now leads thousands of men and women whose job is to run toward danger in order to protect others.
Not a bad day of school!