Service
Wildland Firefighting
From a young age I had a yearning to be a part of something bigger than myself. I wanted to work with a team and dedicate my mind and body to the protection of others. It wasn’t always clear what that would look like. And then I found wildland firefighting.
Over the 2019 and 2020 fire seasons I served on a Type II Handcrew out of Eugene Oregon. Over those two summers I was fortunate to fight fires from California to the Canadian border.
Being a firefighter has been formative. It put everything into a new perspective. I served with a wonderful mix of people, from career laborers to college students to ex-felons and a mix of everyone in between. Working on a handcrew brought purpose, adventure and comradery.
Fire gave me an opportunity to teach. I was invited to lead and teach new firefighters during their initial training. I loved showing not only how to do things, but engaging with WHY we do them. I loved showing how concepts like atmospheric stability or fuel continuity could make a real impact on the world around them.
There is one thing I missed dearly above all else: creativity. The tireless and regimented life of a wildland firefighter left no room for invention, innovation or even iteration. I left fire season 2020 knowing that whatever I do in life, I need to leave room to create.
Service Through Engineering
During my final summer at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab, Dr. Jeffrey Lipton, then a post-doc at CSAIL, involved me in his initiative to combat Boston’s opioid crisis through a device for distributing temperature-controlled Narcan canisters.
I dedicated my evenings and additional time throughout the year to develop its electronics. Despite our efforts, the project was eventually abandoned due to a lack of support.
Shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic began and I was sent home, Jeff, who had since become a UW Professor, enlisted my help on a new project. We worked on developing masks using an alternative supply chain to support UW's hospital during the supply shortage. Our efforts paid off when some of our mask designs received FDA emergency use clearance, addressing the urgent need for protective gear early in the pandemic.
Volunteering
Giving my time to enrich my community is a wonderful to give back and learn. Here are some of my volunteer experiences, many ongoing.
Stanford EMT Program Teaching Assistant: For the several years, I have been teaching as a TA for the Stanford EMT Program. Following my certification and graduation from the Stanford Emergency Medical Technician program in Spring of 2019, I returned the following year, and every year since to help TA the course. TAing has allowed me to stay involved with a program that meant so much to me as a student. I try to bring the wonder and excitement that I felt as an EMT student as well as bring so goofiness to keep everyone engaged. I TA’d full time for Fall 2019, Winter 2020, Spring 2020 and Fall 2021. Additionally, I served a limited role in Winter 2021, Spring 2021 and Winter 2022.
Team Rubicon: Living in San Diego during my pandemic induced gap year, I wanted to find a way to continue to serve after fire season had ended. Team Rubicon, a national disaster volunteer organization, was a great place to start. They afforded me to the opportunity to help clean up fire damaged homes and to prepare shelters for underaged immigrants during the 2021 border crisis. It was a great way to stay involved in the disaster response community.
Rock Med: Rock Med is a volunteer group which provides medical care at concerts across the Bay Area. I began volunteering as a way to help those in need in a communal environment and keep up my EMT skills. I have provided care at Bill Graham Civic theater and Oakland’s Fox Theater on multiple occasions. I volunteered with my CPR certification in Spring for 2019, and with my EMT certification in Fall 2019 and Winter 2020.
Prescribed Burns: Prescribed burns make for healthier, safer forests. Following fire season 2020, I have been looking for ways to stay involved in the wildland fire community and to continue to serve the west coast’s land and ecosystems. The Good Fire Alliance and Central Coast Prescribed Burn Association are wonderful ways for me to do this. I’ve participated several burns in the Bay Are and look forward to many more to come!