After graduation in 2004 I was prepared to work for RONCO, a private contractor company that worked with the State Department in Humanitarian Demining, specifically as a paramedic in Namibia. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq started around that time and with it with funding for humanitarian efforts like demining quickly dried up. Instead of working overseas as I planned, I moved home after graduation to see what other opportunities would present themselves.
Shortly after moving home, I quickly decided to follow in my father’s footsteps and entered the fire service. My experience as a paramedic in Springfield, MO and my degree from Missouri State allowed me to advance through the rigorous 9 month application process and I was hired as a Fire Fighter/Paramedic in Glenview, IL. With the skills and experience I gained working for the Glenview Fire Department and the relationships I developed at Missouri State, I have had some incredible opportunities. From joining the largest regional SWAT team in the country as the teams’ paramedic to participating in humanitarian trips to Africa.
The first trip was lead by Dr. Ken Rutherford (picture below) who was teaching an African Politics class at Missouri State. During this trip we toured Kenya and learned about the political strife occurring there. While we were in country we were able to stock a regional medical facility that had not been supplied in nearly a year with 100 pounds of medical supplies that we collected with the help of Missouri State Alumni Sarah Becker. Our work was so appreciated my the community that we ended up being visiting with newly elected President Obama’s Grandmother who lived nearby.
My second trip took me to Sierra Leone with a group of local doctors and nurses through the Village Medical Project. The mission of this trip was to set up point of care clinics in very rural villages in the Kono District, famous for its diamonds. During our two week visit our team treated a variety of injuries and medical conditions. We spent a day in each village and treated hundreds of patients. The presence of medial service is so rare in this area that we notify villagers approximately 6 months prior to our arrival so they can repair roads for the journey. Due to the limited modern transportation most people had to travel to our clinics by foot over several days. Currently we are waiting for the Ebola epidemic to pass so me can make our next visit.
For a story on Scott’s trip, see the article at http://www.journal-topics.com/news/glenview/article_052fce86-c883-11e2-8f64-0019bb30f31a.html.