If you know me IRL, you probably know that I went to college at Duke, put myself though college and grad school working full time in the restaurant industry, but still ran out of tuition money as an undergrad. I transferred to Virginia Tech, where I certified as an EMT, and started working for emergency services for the campus, the university rescue squad (VTRS). I was double majoring in biology and psychology, with a desire to join the health professions.

While I was there, I revamped a few of their practices because I kind of do that thing. There was only a 9 to 5 emergency/crisis availability for students, including grad students and faculty. I said to them that there are no students who have emergencies between 9 AM and 5 PM. I set up a 24 hour hotline for the VT campus, which continues to this day. Small actions matter when we notice what is missing.

Note: The Virginia Tech rescue squad is completely student run. It does the same work as any township, and serves tens of thousands of students, faculty, and staff.

Fun fact: We had to do 24 hour shifts at the rescue squad headquarters, which were quite comfortable. To stay awake, I drank coffee and watched MTV, which was still new and exciting in the 80s. Michael Jackson, Def Leppard, Dire Straits. I loved them. Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAD6Obi7Cag