I was raised by my single, hardworking mother. We moved around a lot and I didn’t have a stable childhood growing up. When I was a sophomore in high school 9/11 happened and I knew I had a duty to serve others. I joined the US Navy as a corpsman right out of high school and was deployed to West Africa for operation Flintlock. When I came back to civilian life I couldn’t sit behind a desk for 8 hours a day, so I went back to doing what I knew best– helping people. I was hired at the primary 911 ambulance service for the Los Angeles area where I worked for three years. At that time, the firefighters there encouraged me to become a firefighter. Through divine providence, my Father-in-Law offered my wife and me a house in Redding. We moved a week before the academy started!
The first person I interacted with when I moved up here was Shasta College Fire Academy Chief Donovan Lacy. He is a very kind person, and very accommodating. Every instructor and staff member and especially my fellow students were pivotal in helping me settle into my new life and achieving success in the program.
I’ve graduated from the academy, applied to CalFire, and plan to continue my education with a graduate degree in fire science. Coming to Shasta College has taught me the necessary skills to succeed in my career and better protect the community I serve. Because of Shasta College, I’m able to continue my education, stay within my budget and enjoy the flexibility of online classes.
Kohei
Shasta College Knight