Joley Bove

Firefighter EMT Dan Petrochi gives insight on his job during a presentation in the College and Career Center.

As the four short years of high school come to a close and the decision to pick the path for their future career approaches, many students are filled with an overwhelming amount of stress.

The College and Career Center is one of the best places on-campus students can go to answer their many questions and relieve their stress.

Nina Rasor, the College and Career Center assistant, helps many students through this trying time. One of the many ways she provides support for Carlmont students is by bringing in professionals to explain what their career is truly like and why it may be a good career option for students.

On Wednesday, March 3, Rasor brought in Dan Petrochi, a firefighter emergency medical technician (EMT) at the Redwood City Fire Department. His presentation was about his experience as a firefighter as well as why he recommends it to high school students.

“I wish I had this when I was in high school, to be able to have somebody come in and talk about the fire department, just to give everyone a little bit of information, for anybody interested in the fire services. I’m just glad that I can do that for you guys.” Petrochi said.

Rasor finds value in having people from different professions present to the students of Carlmont because it allows students to get a peek into careers they may have previously brushed off as a possibility for themselves.

“If students don’t have a clue on what they want to do in their future, it can just spark some interest in them. It may not be a firefighter specifically, maybe it’s an EMT, or maybe they just want to know what an EMT is. There are so many branches of one profession that there’s a different option for every person out there,” Rasor said.

If Petrochi did have a firefighter come and present while he was in high school, his passion would have further intensified.

“I would have wanted to be a firefighter 10 times more, I think if I just had a powerful speaker, it would have made me that much more interested in it,” Petrochi said.

Attendees of the meeting, such as junior Katrina Sharonin, found it to be particularly beneficial because she has been passionate about becoming a firefighter, and she relates to Petrochi’s story about how he worked his way up to become a firefighter from explorer.

“This meeting has made an impact on my career by making me more sure that I want to work in the fire services in the future. Getting to know Dan’s story and his presentation on advancing in the fire service has made me confident about the next steps I should take in becoming a firefighter/medic,” Sharonin said.

The next career presentation will be held on March 18 during third period in the College and Career Center. Electrical workers will talk about their profession and provide insight to those interested.