Meet Sandra Aguilera of S.T.A.R. CONCEPTS (Safety, Training, Appropriate, Response) in Gilbert

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sandra Aguilera.

Born and raised in Arizona, Sandra Aguilera was hired by the Arizona Highway Patrol in 1980. In 1986 she was the first woman to qualify and ride motorcycles with the Arizona Highway Patrol (Department of Public Safety). Sandra successfully promoted to the rank of Sergeant in 1990. She continued to ride Motors making her the first female motorcycle sergeant in the State of Arizona. Sandra has trained and supervised numerous police officers in her almost 30 years of law enforcement, executive security and personal security experience. She has had hundreds of hours of leadership and management training. Sandra is also certified in mediation/conflict resolution. Some of her duties involved field training of police officers, physical fitness instructor, undercover investigations and human resource supervisor in charge of the hiring process for new police officers. For over six years, Sandra was the lead investigator and instructor for sexual harassment, age, race, religious and employee harassment complaints. Sandra was on the response team (S.W.A.T.) for eight years in the East Valley, responding to riots, building entries, hostage situations, barricaded subjects and involved in hostage negotiations. She is also recognized as an expert in accident scene management. Because of her long career in Law Enforcement and special assignments she has been trained in the use of impact weapons along with various firearms.

Sandra was elected as a school board member in northern Arizona in the early 80’s. In 1984, she was transferred by the Highway Patrol to the Tempe/ the Mesa area and along with her regular duties as a police officer she performed numerous school safety talks with the assistance of “Baby Bumper” (an animated/talking miniature patrol car).

Sandra was a guest speaker/drill sergeant with Metro Tech High School, a vocational school teaching real-life police working skills (in Phoenix) for over ten years.

Sandra’s reputation working with youths grew and continued in other avenues. The American Legion called on Sandra’s expertise in dealing with teenagers to instruct “mini police academies” in Tucson. Two weeks a year for five years, she sacrificed her time away from her family for teens wanting a career in law enforcement. This instruction involved coordinating lesson plans, team building experiences, seeking out officers from other agencies as counselors, setting up physical assessments and, around the clock supervision for the youth attending the sessions. Sandra was given the “Award of Appreciation” from the American Legion for her service to this program.

She has been volunteering in the Chandler School District ever since 2011, helping in the classrooms and with the “Art Master Piece” program.

Sandra is a member of the “National Association of Professional Women” and a member of the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce and former member of the Ahwatukee Chamber of Commerce.

S.T.A.R. Concepts was nominated for new business of the year in Phoenix (Ahwatukee), Arizona in 2015 for their work with children and teens.

Sandra was nominated for the Palo Verde Social Enterprise Award of the year in Phoenix, Arizona in 2016 for her awareness classes and potentially lifesaving works in the community.

In 2017, Sandra was nominated for Palo Verde Business Women of the Year in Phoenix.

2018 – Nominated for Small Business of the Year in Phoenix.

She has also volunteered with “Save our Families”, “Arizonans for Fosters Kids” and “House of Refuge.”
Sandra also does Fund Raising Events for local charities.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The biggest struggle has been trying to get into public schools.

One obstacle we struggle with when people read or hear the term self-defense they immediately think our training is the typical ” fight studio.” Not to take anything away from those businesses, we are not a lifetime of training. We focus on awareness, how not to get into a “sticky” situation and to how to protect.

S.T.A.R. CONCEPTS (Safety, Training, Appropriate, Response) – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
As the owner and lead instructor of S.T.A.R. CONCEPTS, Sandra has had the honor of teaching numerous groups to include; Girl Scouts with, Boy Scouts, The Cardinal’s Cheerleaders, The Rattler’s Sidewinder Dancers, Church Groups, Credit employees, Realtor Groups, Military Families, Cotillion Groups in Chandler and Scottsdale, National Charity League in Scottsdale, Fire Fighter Families, Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy-Nevada, Home Schooled Children, Public Schools, Charter and Religious Schools, Mohave County Court and the Wives of the Arizona Cardinals Coaches.

Some of the classes offered are;
1. Bully Prevention/Stranger Awareness for ages 5 to 11
2. Cyberbullying, Internet Safety for Tween, Teens, and Parents
3. Distracted/Impaired Driving for Tweens
4. Girls Self-Defense (ages 10 to 14) our young girls need to have the confidence and courage to self-protect
5. Girls Self-Defense (ages 15 to 17) these girls need to be prepared for the challenges for high school pranks and learn the POWER of the word “NO.”
6. College women (18 and older) the key focus in this class is not setting yourself to be a victim and knowing the current trends in the college environment.
7. Women Self-Defense classes (from a women’s perspective, we can’t fight a man like a man, but we can effectively defend ourselves).
8. Is bullying affecting your bottom line? This course is for school staff and administrator in how to recognize bullying, how to respond/defuse, how to investigate and report.

The background, hands-on experience, training and the number of years working with children sets S.T.A.R. CONCEPTS apart from other like businesses.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
When the children, teens or women learn to save or protect themselves from harm from my training, I call that a success.

Pricing:

• The kids, Cyberbullying/Internet Safety classes are $20 per person (20 minimum per class)
• Girls Awareness and self-defense classes are $30 per person (20 minimum per class)
• Women’s self-defense classes are $65 per person (20 minimum per class)

Contact Info:

• Website: www.star-concepts.org
• Phone: 4802827160
• Email: sandy@star-concepts.org

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