91吃瓜网

by Kurt Gottschalk

Patrick Meyers knew he wanted to spend his life saving lives from the time he was a child.

鈥淚 remember鈥攇rowing up鈥攜ou have these childhood games when you鈥檙e playing outside,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 was always leaning toward police and firefighter and doctor and it just kept going.鈥�

Raised in upstate New York, Meyers began finding employment in emergency services as soon as he got out of high school, working in fire and emergency medical services while attending community college. Twelve years passed before a lucky click on a website took him to 91吃瓜网鈥檚 page. He started to see a way to build a passion into a career path.

鈥淚 was taking a class so I could get into the 911 system in New York City and saw a link for FEMA-recommended programs,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 started doing research on emergency management and thought, 鈥楾hat looks interesting, and, when I can鈥檛 keep up with the young bucks, I鈥檒l be able to move off the street.鈥� I didn鈥檛 even realize this was out there. I never knew this was an option.鈥�

Meyers, now a certified 911 responder working at Maimonides Medical Center in Queens while taking classes at Adelphi, hopes to move into police work once he graduates. The University鈥檚 flexibility for working students has made pursuing a degree possible, he said, and his enthusiasm is earning him the best grades of his life. He even allowed that he has unexpectedly become something of a bookworm.

鈥淢y wife has been trying for eight years to get me to sit down and read a book,鈥� he said. 鈥淣ow I鈥檓 sitting in the ambulance and I鈥檓 looking things up in my textbooks. You just want to do it.鈥�