Nicholas Sawyer is ready to protect his country. 

Sawyer, 19, joined the U.S. Customs Border Protection Explorer Program. He believes it was life-changing. 

"I didn't know what I was walking into when I first entered the program. I think I left the program with a great amount of knowledge young adults my age do not have," Sawyer said.

There's only one Explorer post, in the North Country, for the entire state.

"I think in this area, it's crucial,” said Chief CBP Officer Kurt Tennant. “There are a lot of kids that's looking for something to be involved in. This program gives them a focus.”

Partnering with local education institutions like JCC and BOCES, explorers learn about CBP operations, and do physical fitness tests, drills and scenario-based training.

"When I first got the call from [the] chief, I thought it was a fantastic idea,” said JCC Public Safety Department Chair Paul Alteri. “It's just another opportunity for our students at JCC to get into another field in law enforcement."

The training is helping these explorers prepare for something much bigger: a career. 

"Even people who just go across the border to Canada to shop for the day don't really know what’s going on in the background or behind the scenes when they encounter us at the border," said CBP Officer Alexander Eberhart.