{"id":13442,"date":"2020-05-22T08:37:58","date_gmt":"2020-05-22T12:37:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/?p=13442"},"modified":"2022-03-21T16:16:17","modified_gmt":"2022-03-21T20:16:17","slug":"medical-ambitions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/medical-ambitions\/","title":{"rendered":"Mom Inspires Son’s Medical Ambitions"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Emergency
Brandon Wright ’21 is working as an emergency medical technician for Life EMS in Kalamazoo. At age 14, Wright saw his mom endure breast cancer, inspiring him to one day attend medical school and seek a career in medicine.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Imagine, as a 14-year-old child, seeing your mother endure breast cancer. How might that affect you? For Brandon Wright \u201921, it prompted him to attend his mom\u2019s chemo and radiation treatments.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe went through chemo and radiation for a year,\u201d said Wright, a biology<\/a> major and physics<\/a> minor from Dexter, Michigan. \u201cI went to her treatments to understand them better. I still remember them like they were yesterday. It was an early moment when I realized that something bigger than me was going on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thankfully, Wright\u2019s mom today is a survivor. And by the time she was cancer-free, her son was inspired to seek a career in medicine. A physical therapist by trade, Mom helped arrange some job shadowing with doctors for Wright during his high school years, and he plans to attend medical school after graduating from Kalamazoo College. In the meantime, Wright is embracing a role as an emergency medical technician (EMT).<\/p>\n

Wright trained as an EMT after his first year at K, realizing he would need to spend hands-on time with patients to optimize his chances of getting into medical school. After more than 256 hours of accelerated coursework that summer\u2014and several certification tests and clinical trials afterward\u2014he was offered a part-time job working for Life EMS<\/a> in Kalamazoo.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought I would do something I knew I would like rather than something I thought I had to do,\u201d Wright said. \u201cThe exciting thing is we can get a not-so-serious call, and then, in the next second, all of a sudden we\u2019re called to treat a cardiac arrest. The unpredictable nature of the job keeps me on my toes because at any second, it could be something new.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cardiac arrest is among the most serious calls Wright responds to and he remembers the first time he responded to one in March 2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was still in training and the call was for an 8-year-old boy,\u201d Wright said. \u201cMy trainer had me participate in CPR because I was brand new, and that shook me for a while. I\u2019ve probably responded to 10 or more cardiac arrests since then and, thanks to my trainers and partners, I feel I\u2019ve developed the skills and mental capacity to handle them. It\u2019s relatively straight forward for me now.\u201d<\/p>\n

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected Wright on the job. Ambulance dispatchers began using a code over the radio to let EMTs know when they were responding to a scenario where coronavirus could be present. That typically means Wright and his colleagues wear face shields, gowns and N-95 masks in addition to normal protective standards during the call, and take special steps to wipe down the ambulance and change clothes afterward.<\/p>\n

Wright and his colleagues have found coronavirus to especially be a problem in the homeless population in Kalamazoo. With that knowledge, and with additional experiences in responding to emergencies such as gunshot wounds and overdoses, Wright recognizes his privilege as a student, which has fueled his desire to be involved in the community and help others one day as a doctor.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest thing I\u2019ve realized is how many emergencies there can be anywhere,\u201d he said. \u201cAt any time, we might have 10 trucks out just to cover all the emergencies. That\u2019s really opened my eyes to how many people need help. It has confirmed my desire to go into medicine.\u201d<\/p>\n

To further his community involvement, Wright in the 2020-21 academic year will serve as a President\u2019s Student Ambassador<\/a>. The student leaders serve as an extension of President Jorge G. Gonzalez\u2019s<\/a> hospitality at events and gatherings, welcoming alumni and guests of the College with a spirit of inclusion.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany students get caught up in going to school, but there are a lot of ways we can integrate more into the community,\u201d Wright said. \u201cI wanted to be an ambassador because I wanted to bring my experiences to the table to start that conversation about involvement. I also want to hear from alumni about their own K experiences and take those lessons back to other students.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the Day of Gracious Living<\/a> expected soon, along with its traditions including community service, Wright reflected on what he\u2019s been most grateful for in his time at K.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I\u2019m most grateful for the fact that K gave me the opportunity to study abroad in Quito, Ecuador,\u201d he said. \u201cEven further than my community experiences in Kalamazoo, I was able to compare and contrast them on a global level with what I experienced in the lower-income country of Ecuador. Learning about some of their disparities in public health allowed me to recognize some ways that the U.S. system is also failing many. It is no doubt an experience that I will remember and value as I pursue a career in health care.\u201d<\/p>\n

The K-Plan<\/a> teaches students to adapt to the unexpected situations of our ever-changing world. When the Day of Gracious Giving<\/a> is announced, please make a gift to support K\u2019s robust academic and experiential learning opportunities that help prepare the leaders and problem solvers of tomorrow.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Imagine, as a 14-year-old child, seeing your mother endure breast cancer. How might that affect you? For Brandon Wright \u201921, it prompted him to attend his mom\u2019s chemo and radiation treatments. \u201cShe went through chemo and radiation for a year,\u201d said Wright, a biology major and physics minor from Dexter, Michigan. \u201cI went to her […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":147,"featured_media":13444,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[231],"tags":[52,142],"post_formats":[],"class_list":["post-13442","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-students","tag-biology","tag-physics"],"yoast_head":"\r\nMedical School Ahead: Mom Inspires Son's Ambitions - News and Events<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Brandon Wright '21 is working as an EMT and is seeking a medical career after seeing his mom endure a year\u2019s worth of treatments for breast cancer.\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/medical-ambitions\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mom Inspires Son's Medical Ambitions\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Brandon Wright '21 is working as an EMT and is seeking a medical career after seeing his mom endure a year\u2019s worth of treatments for breast cancer.\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/medical-ambitions\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News and Events\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/KalamazooCollege\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-05-22T12:37:58+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-03-21T20:16:17+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/05\/Emergency-Medical-Technician-Brandon-Wright.jpeg\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2200\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"2909\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Andy Brown\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Mom Inspires Son's Medical Ambitions\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@kcollege\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@kcollege\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Andy Brown\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/medical-ambitions\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/medical-ambitions\/\",\"name\":\"Medical School Ahead: Mom Inspires Son's Ambitions - News and Events\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/medical-ambitions\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/medical-ambitions\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/05\/Emergency-Medical-Technician-Brandon-Wright.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-05-22T12:37:58+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-03-21T20:16:17+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8b54e37c984840c05e9ec797b6616166\"},\"description\":\"Brandon Wright '21 is working as an EMT and is seeking a medical career after seeing his mom endure a year\u2019s worth of treatments for breast cancer.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/medical-ambitions\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/medical-ambitions\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/medical-ambitions\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/05\/Emergency-Medical-Technician-Brandon-Wright.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/05\/Emergency-Medical-Technician-Brandon-Wright.jpeg\",\"width\":2200,\"height\":2909,\"caption\":\"Brandon Wright '21 is working as an emergency medical technician for Life EMS in Kalamazoo. At age 14, Wright saw his mom endure breast cancer, inspiring him to seek a career in medicine.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/medical-ambitions\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Mom Inspires Son’s Medical Ambitions\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/\",\"name\":\"News and Events\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8b54e37c984840c05e9ec797b6616166\",\"name\":\"Andy Brown\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a85189587f7af74a5efd2cb4233df125?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a85189587f7af74a5efd2cb4233df125?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Andy Brown\"},\"description\":\"As the Director of News and Social Media, Andy shares the stories that distinguish Kalamazoo College through social media, the Web and the news media. Contact him at abrown@kzoo.edu.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/contact-us\/\"]}]}<\/script>\r\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Medical School Ahead: Mom Inspires Son's Ambitions - News and Events","description":"Brandon Wright '21 is working as an EMT and is seeking a medical career after seeing his mom endure a year\u2019s worth of treatments for breast cancer.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/medical-ambitions\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Mom Inspires Son's Medical Ambitions","og_description":"Brandon Wright '21 is working as an EMT and is seeking a medical career after seeing his mom endure a year\u2019s worth of treatments for breast cancer.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/medical-ambitions\/","og_site_name":"News and Events","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/KalamazooCollege","article_published_time":"2020-05-22T12:37:58+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-03-21T20:16:17+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2200,"height":2909,"url":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/05\/Emergency-Medical-Technician-Brandon-Wright.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Andy Brown","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Mom Inspires Son's Medical Ambitions","twitter_creator":"@kcollege","twitter_site":"@kcollege","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Andy Brown","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/medical-ambitions\/","url":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/medical-ambitions\/","name":"Medical School Ahead: Mom Inspires Son's Ambitions - News and Events","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/medical-ambitions\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/medical-ambitions\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/05\/Emergency-Medical-Technician-Brandon-Wright.jpeg","datePublished":"2020-05-22T12:37:58+00:00","dateModified":"2022-03-21T20:16:17+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8b54e37c984840c05e9ec797b6616166"},"description":"Brandon Wright '21 is working as an EMT and is seeking a medical career after seeing his mom endure a year\u2019s worth of treatments for breast cancer.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/medical-ambitions\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/medical-ambitions\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/medical-ambitions\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/05\/Emergency-Medical-Technician-Brandon-Wright.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/05\/Emergency-Medical-Technician-Brandon-Wright.jpeg","width":2200,"height":2909,"caption":"Brandon Wright '21 is working as an emergency medical technician for Life EMS in Kalamazoo. At age 14, Wright saw his mom endure breast cancer, inspiring him to seek a career in medicine."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/medical-ambitions\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Mom Inspires Son’s Medical Ambitions"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/","name":"News and Events","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8b54e37c984840c05e9ec797b6616166","name":"Andy Brown","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a85189587f7af74a5efd2cb4233df125?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a85189587f7af74a5efd2cb4233df125?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Andy Brown"},"description":"As the Director of News and Social Media, Andy shares the stories that distinguish Kalamazoo College through social media, the Web and the news media. Contact him at abrown@kzoo.edu.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/contact-us\/"]}]}},"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/05\/Emergency-Medical-Technician-Brandon-Wright.jpeg","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/05\/Emergency-Medical-Technician-Brandon-Wright.jpeg","author_info":{"display_name":"Andy Brown","author_link":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/author\/abrown\/"},"guten_post_layout_featured_media_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/05\/Emergency-Medical-Technician-Brandon-Wright.jpeg",2200,2909,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/05\/Emergency-Medical-Technician-Brandon-Wright-113x150.jpeg",113,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/05\/Emergency-Medical-Technician-Brandon-Wright-300x397.jpeg",300,397,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/05\/Emergency-Medical-Technician-Brandon-Wright.jpeg",2200,2909,false],"large":["https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/05\/Emergency-Medical-Technician-Brandon-Wright-600x793.jpeg",600,793,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/05\/Emergency-Medical-Technician-Brandon-Wright.jpeg",1162,1536,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/05\/Emergency-Medical-Technician-Brandon-Wright.jpeg",1549,2048,false],"ab-block-post-grid-landscape":["https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/05\/Emergency-Medical-Technician-Brandon-Wright.jpeg",303,400,false],"ab-block-post-grid-square":["https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/05\/Emergency-Medical-Technician-Brandon-Wright.jpeg",454,600,false],"pl-blogpost-landscape":["https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/05\/Emergency-Medical-Technician-Brandon-Wright.jpeg",303,400,false],"pl-blogpost-square":["https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/05\/Emergency-Medical-Technician-Brandon-Wright.jpeg",454,600,false],"guten_post_layout_landscape_large":["https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/05\/Emergency-Medical-Technician-Brandon-Wright.jpeg",605,800,false],"guten_post_layout_portrait_large":["https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/05\/Emergency-Medical-Technician-Brandon-Wright.jpeg",1200,1587,false],"guten_post_layout_square_large":["https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/05\/Emergency-Medical-Technician-Brandon-Wright.jpeg",908,1200,false],"guten_post_layout_landscape":["https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/05\/Emergency-Medical-Technician-Brandon-Wright.jpeg",303,400,false],"guten_post_layout_portrait":["https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/05\/Emergency-Medical-Technician-Brandon-Wright.jpeg",600,793,false],"guten_post_layout_square":["https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/05\/Emergency-Medical-Technician-Brandon-Wright.jpeg",454,600,false],"campus-posts-thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/05\/Emergency-Medical-Technician-Brandon-Wright.jpeg",227,300,false],"gform-image-choice-sm":["https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/05\/Emergency-Medical-Technician-Brandon-Wright.jpeg",227,300,false],"gform-image-choice-md":["https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/05\/Emergency-Medical-Technician-Brandon-Wright.jpeg",303,400,false],"gform-image-choice-lg":["https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/05\/Emergency-Medical-Technician-Brandon-Wright.jpeg",454,600,false]},"category_info":"<a aria-label=\"archive of category Students\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/category\/students\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Students<\/a>","tags_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/tag\/biology\/\" rel=\"tag\">biology<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/tag\/physics\/\" rel=\"tag\">physics<\/a>","social_share_info":"<a data-share=\"facebook\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/medical-ambitions\/\" class=\"pl-facebook-share social-share-default pl-social-share\" target=\"_blank\"><i class=\"fab fa-facebook-f\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a><a data-share=\"twitter\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/medical-ambitions\/\" class=\"pl-twiiter-share social-share-default pl-social-share\" target=\"_blank\"><i class=\"fab fa-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a><a data-share=\"linkedin\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/medical-ambitions\/\" class=\"pl-linkedin-share social-share-default pl-social-share\" target=\"_blank\"><i class=\"fab fa-linkedin-in\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a>","wordExcerpt_info":"<figure id=\"attachment_13444\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13444\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13444\" src=\"\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/files\/2020\/05\/Emergency-Medical-Technician-Brandon-Wright-300x397.jpeg\" alt=\"Emergency Medical Technician Brandon Wright\" width=\"300\" height=\"397\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-13444\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brandon Wright ’21 is working as an emergency medical technician for Life EMS in Kalamazoo. At age 14, Wright saw his mom endure breast cancer, inspiring him to one day attend medical school and seek a career in medicine.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Imagine, as a 14-year-old child, seeing your mother endure breast cancer. How might that affect you? For Brandon Wright \u201921, it prompted him to attend his mom\u2019s chemo and radiation treatments.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe went through chemo and radiation for a year,\u201d said Wright, a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/programs\/biology\/\">biology<\/a> major and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/programs\/physics\/\">physics<\/a> minor from Dexter, Michigan. \u201cI went to her treatments to understand them better. I still remember them like they were yesterday. It was an early moment when I realized that something bigger than me was going on.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thankfully, Wright\u2019s mom today is a survivor. And by the time she was cancer-free, her son was inspired to seek a career in medicine. A physical therapist by trade, Mom helped arrange some job shadowing with doctors for Wright during his high school years, and he plans to attend medical school after graduating from Kalamazoo College. In the meantime, Wright is embracing a role as an emergency medical technician (EMT).<\/p>\n<p>Wright trained as an EMT after his first year at K, realizing he would need to spend hands-on time with patients to optimize his chances of getting into medical school. After more than 256 hours of accelerated coursework that summer\u2014and several certification tests and clinical trials afterward\u2014he was offered a part-time job working for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lifeems.com\/\">Life EMS<\/a> in Kalamazoo.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI thought I would do something I knew I would like rather than something I thought I had to do,\u201d Wright said. \u201cThe exciting thing is we can get a not-so-serious call, and then, in the next second, all of a sudden we\u2019re called to treat a cardiac arrest. The unpredictable nature of the job keeps me on my toes because at any second, it could be something new.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cardiac arrest is among the most serious calls Wright responds to and he remembers the first time he responded to one in March 2019.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was still in training and the call was for an 8-year-old boy,\u201d Wright said. \u201cMy trainer had me participate in CPR because I was brand new, and that shook me for a while. I\u2019ve probably responded to 10 or more cardiac arrests since then and, thanks to my trainers and partners, I feel I\u2019ve developed the skills and mental capacity to handle them. It\u2019s relatively straight forward for me now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The COVID-19 pandemic has affected Wright on the job. Ambulance dispatchers began using a code over the radio to let EMTs know when they were responding to a scenario where coronavirus could be present. That typically means Wright and his colleagues wear face shields, gowns and N-95 masks in addition to normal protective standards during the call, and take special steps to wipe down the ambulance and change clothes afterward.<\/p>\n<p>Wright and his colleagues have found coronavirus to especially be a problem in the homeless population in Kalamazoo. With that knowledge, and with additional experiences in responding to emergencies such as gunshot wounds and overdoses, Wright recognizes his privilege as a student, which has fueled his desire to be involved in the community and help others one day as a doctor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe biggest thing I\u2019ve realized is how many emergencies there can be anywhere,\u201d he said. \u201cAt any time, we might have 10 trucks out just to cover all the emergencies. That\u2019s really opened my eyes to how many people need help. It has confirmed my desire to go into medicine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To further his community involvement, Wright in the 2020-21 academic year will serve as a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/giving\/presidents-student-ambassadors\/\">President\u2019s Student Ambassador<\/a>. The student leaders serve as an extension of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/about\/gonzalez\/\">President Jorge G. Gonzalez\u2019s<\/a> hospitality at events and gatherings, welcoming alumni and guests of the College with a spirit of inclusion.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMany students get caught up in going to school, but there are a lot of ways we can integrate more into the community,\u201d Wright said. \u201cI wanted to be an ambassador because I wanted to bring my experiences to the table to start that conversation about involvement. I also want to hear from alumni about their own K experiences and take those lessons back to other students.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/about\/history\/day-of-gracious-living\/\">Day of Gracious Living<\/a> expected soon, along with its traditions including community service, Wright reflected on what he\u2019s been most grateful for in his time at K.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think I\u2019m most grateful for the fact that K gave me the opportunity to study abroad in Quito, Ecuador,\u201d he said. \u201cEven further than my community experiences in Kalamazoo, I was able to compare and contrast them on a global level with what I experienced in the lower-income country of Ecuador. Learning about some of their disparities in public health allowed me to recognize some ways that the U.S. system is also failing many. It is no doubt an experience that I will remember and value as I pursue a career in health care.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/k-plan\/\">K-Plan<\/a> teaches students to adapt to the unexpected situations of our ever-changing world. When the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/giving\/kcf\/day-of-gracious-giving\/\">Day of Gracious Giving<\/a> is announced, please make a gift to support K\u2019s robust academic and experiential learning opportunities that help prepare the leaders and problem solvers of tomorrow.<\/em><\/p>\n","comment_info":"No Comments","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13442","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/147"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13442"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13442\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13451,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13442\/revisions\/13451"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13444"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13442"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13442"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13442"},{"taxonomy":"post_format","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_formats?post=13442"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}