Sergeant Lena Wresinski of the Michigan State Police Paw Paw Post has been named the 2025 Michigan State Police Trooper of the Year.
The MSP announced on Wednesday that Wresinski received the Gerstacker Trooper of the Year Award during a statewide ceremony in East Lansing. Colleagues describe Wresinski as a steady and respected leader who goes beyond expectations. She told us she’s honored to be chosen for the award.
“I don’t know that anybody really feels worthy of something like that, but I’m obviously very proud and very humbled,” Wresinski said. “We have a lot of really great troopers who do a lot of good work, so to be named Trooper of the Year for 2025 is obviously a huge honor when troopers across the state do a great job every day.”
When receiving the award, Wresinski was cited for her actions during a 10-car crash in a winter storm, when she identified a child in need of urgent care and transported them and a parent to a hospital in her patrol vehicle after ambulances were unable to reach the scene. She was also recognized for her involvement in organizing a canine handler reunion at the Paw Paw Post, honoring those who have served since 1963. She says her father raised her to serve others.
“He would always say, you can be whatever you want to be, you just need to be the best. And on the opposite side of that, he would always tell us that no matter what, be kind. And I think that I guess I just was raised that way to help people who can’t help themselves, to stand up for people who can’t stand up for themselves. And I think that the Michigan State Police instills that in their troopers.”
The MSP says Wresinski has voluntarily placed herself in the National Marrow Donation Program, donating blood and stem cells saving lives. And because she lost a colleague and close friend to cancer, she now assists with planning and running the annual Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety Golf Outing that honors her friend. She says her work as a trooper has been eye opening.
“You see a lot of tragedy, but I have found that this job has helped me be so much more understanding of what people go through. And in a weird way, it has also reaffirmed my, I guess, respect in humanity and that for every bad person out there or bad situation, there’s 20 more good people in good situations. And so I’ve been to my fair share of dark moments like any other trooper has, but it’s the good ones that really stick with you that I think just keeps me going.”
Wresinski joined the Michigan State Police in 2014. She’s originally from Pennsylvania but moved to Holland, Michigan as a child and later went to Michigan State University. She says she’d like to remain here in Southwest Michigan.
“I think that Southwest Michigan is, it’s a perfect blend of everything. You are close to big cities, but far enough to have your country feel if you want to, the lakes. I think that the way of life is just the kind of life I want to live.”
