For my entire childhood and adolescent life, I have been exposed to fire or emergency medical services (EMS). With my father already in the fire service, I grew up in this field which helped me appreciate what it was like to be a person dedicated to the medical field while learning more and more about it by listening to my father's experience. During high school, I was able to attend and obtain my National Registry Emergency Medical Technician-Basic. After receiving my certification, I wanted to learn more and gain the experience that I needed to pursue my Critical Care Paramedic degree. To do that, I decided to volunteer at Forest View Volunteer Rescue Squad (FVVRS) in Chesterfield County, Virginia. Chesterfield is a rapidly growing county in Virginia and with that, the fire department handles approximately 50,000 calls per year, with 85% of those being EMS. By volunteering in a busy system, I am able to provide the services to the community that I grew up in and gain the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) that I need to continue my education in the emergency medical field. I have always heard from my father that the fire and EMS field is a family atmosphere. As I started my journey with FVVRS, I quickly realized that he was right and the entire organization including the career members of CFEMS accepted me as one of their own. They would take the time to answer any questions that I may have and teach me new things that I did not get in class. This motivated me and made me want to do more. This family atmosphere spilled over to the emergency scene. Every time I responded and provided patient care, I treated the patient and their loved ones as if they were my family and provided the best care that I could to them. The more calls I responded to and the more patients I treated, the more I fell in love with EMS. Here it is, someone is calling 911 on their worst day asking for help, and they are looking to the first responders to fix their problem. I am able to provide the relief that they need and to assure them that they will be alright or their loved ones will be taken care of and be given the best treatment possible. Seeing the sigh of relief in their eyes, having someone say thank you, or having a family member hug you, makes being in the EMS field a true blessing. As a young adult, I am able to give back to my community and make someone feel better during their time of need. Because of that, I am pursuing my higher education at Radford University-Carilion in Roanoke, Virginia. When I graduate in 2025, I will have my Critical Care Paramedic certification, and I will be able to go back to Chesterfield County and provide higher medical service to my community.