The NYPD's highest-ranking woman on the force returned to her Bronx roots Wednesday.

First Deputy Commissioner Tania Kinsella visited with students and staff at Jane Addams High School, where she graduated from in 1999.

"It feels surreal," said Kinsella. "This school has helped shaped me to who I am today. A lot of what I learned at Jane Addams is what I use in my everyday life now."

Kinsella is the first woman of color to serve as the NYPD's first deputy commissioner.

"I'm just a girl from the Bronx who dreamed big and never gave up on my dreams," said Kinsella. "And I just want our kids, all our youth to know it's not where you're from, it's where you're going."