“What do you want to do when you grow up?” is a question asked more frequently than many college students would like, and often times individuals are unsure of the answer. Senior lacrosse player, William Scioscia, or Billy, to his friends, had his answer ready for delivery since the first time that he was posed the question.

Police officer.

“My grandfather was an officer and I’ve always looked up to him, so ever since I was little I wanted to follow in his footsteps,” said Scioscia, who is majoring in criminal justice. “I want to be able to help people, I don’t just want to sit behind a desk and take people’s money, you know, I actually want to give something back to them.”

Scioscia has found himself trying to model his life after his grandfather’s, who taught the Somerset, New Jersey native to live a life of honesty.

Though his grandfather passed away when Scioscia was just a child, he has never strayed away from his dreams and already has a plan for action and the first stop is the Essex police academy.

Aside from police work, Scioscia hopes to remain involved with lacrosse—a sport he has been playing since the second grade.

“My father played lacrosse and that is one of his jobs now, so I was pretty much born into it,” said Scioscia, who hopes to follow his father’s footsteps and become a referee. “Now a lot of the referees actually end up being friends of my dad’s so I’ve known them since I was a kid, so it’s a little weird seeing them ref my games now.”

Scioscia can’t help but feel a bit of disappointment as to the way his final Pace lacrosse season has gone, but is grateful for all the irreplaceable memories and friends he has gained.

A family connection got Scioscia on Pace’s radar, as former head coach Dave Carty was another friend of Scioscia’s father.

Scioscia was unsure of his future as a lacrosse player following a high school injury, but once he came to Pace he instantly loved it and knew it was the right fit for him.

With a new program in place now, Scioscia has nothing but good things to say about the future of Pace lacrosse, one he hopes to remain a part of.

“I think with the new coach [Tom Mariano] we are definitely heading in the right direction,” said Scioscia, who had a total of 31 goals and six assists in the 2013 season. “It’s only a matter of time before they become one of the power house teams.”

In a couple of years Scioscia might even be a referee at one of Pace’s games.