The first thing Hailey Stokes saw when she walked into her interview for a job as a McHenry County probation officer were familiar emblems worn for 20 years by the man who raised her.

“I automatically felt comfortable,” Stokes, 28, of Hampshire, said of seeing emblems representing the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office. James “Jimmy” Udesen, who was married to Stokes’ mom Dawn Udesen and who raised Stokes, worked for 20 years as a corrections officer in the McHenry County jail. He died last year from glioblastoma, a rare brain cancer.

Stokes described feeling a “spiritual interaction” during the job interview.

“It was the best interview I ever had. It just flowed. Jim was there for sure,” Stokes said.

In the jail, Udesen was known to engage with inmates in a positive way. He encouraged them to turn their lives around as he had done, Stokes and Dawn Udesen said.

Dawn Udesen, of Algonquin, said that was “the most incredible thing” about her husband. In spite of having a rough upbringing in Elgin, he turned his life around and was positive, loving, funny and fun.

He approached everyone, whatever their circumstances, without judgment, Dawn Udesen told Shaw Local after her husband died.

Stokes, who got the job as a probation officer in October, said she admired the way Udesen lived his life, and she follows his example.

Stokes, who served in the military for five years before being honorably discharged for medical reasons, said it was Udesen her modeled for her how to treat people.

“It came from Jim, who was so important to me and he stressed to me being kind to everyone equally,” Stokes said. “He could have ended up in a bad place. He ended up turning it around because people helped him long the way.”

Udesen impressed upon Stokes that anyone can find themselves in a bad spot in life and, “if you can help somebody and pick somebody up, then do that, and that is what this [probation] job is.”

Dawn Udesen said her late husband would be “incredibly proud” of Stokes. Like him, she said, her daughter leads with empathy and has “strong and steady intuition.”

“When I think about the similarities between Hailey and her dad, Jim, it goes far beyond personality — it’s their heart and their intuition," Dawn Udesen said. “Jim had this incredible ability to read people. He gave everyone dignity and respect, but he also had a natural instinct about who someone truly was.”

Udesen said her husband “could sense character quickly — the good, the bad, the complicated.“

“It wasn’t judgment; it was discernment,” she said. “And he used it to guide how he showed up for people. I see that same gift in Hailey. ... His strength and spirit didn’t disappear — it lives on in her."

Ryan Markowski, a deputy director at McHenry County Probation and Court Services, said Stokes’ qualities “make her an exceptional fit for serving our community.”

“Hailey was hired because of her unwavering compassion for helping others, her genuine empathy towards others, and her deep-rooted connection to McHenry County,” Markowski said.

Stokes said she drives the same route Udesen did every day to the courthouse, where she often runs into people who knew her dad. On her desk sits a shadow box with his McHenry County corrections officer badge and patches.

“Every day, I feel close to him in the courthouse and I definitely needed this for my healing,” she said.

Stokes’ job includes working with adults and juveniles accused of misdemeanor and felony charges, including driving under the influence and drug and domestic abuse offenses.

Working with juveniles ”was Jim’s niche,” she said.

Udesen worked with young adults who ended up in jail; he also worked with children he coached in Little League. Stokes said she often runs into those who knew Udesen in their youth and they tell her Udesen left a positive impression on them.

“They talk about how Jim was able to reach them, maybe [in ways] others couldn’t,” Stokes said. “So, when I am working with juveniles, I definitely channel my inner Jim.”

Sometimes people feel embarrassed when they come to her office, “especially when they see I am young.” But she reassures them there is no judgment and makes a point to say, “We could just as easily switch places.”

“There is no need to be embarrassed. Everyone makes mistakes. Yours just landed you here and that really sucks,” she tells them.

Stokes said she gets to know her clients and their stories and “walks with them” while still holding them accountable.

With each step, she says, “I feel like he is with me all the time.”