Fighting to Serve

Published: May 01, 2020
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Timing was everything in Michael Ramirez’s situation. Two days before the school had closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ramirez completed his Emergency Medical Technician course at North Valley Occupational Center in Mission Hills, Calif. Ramirez was proud to finish his course, but that wasn’t good enough; he wanted to pass his national certifying exam so he could start serving his community as an EMT immediately. There was a problem with that strategy: all the exam sites were closed, too. Ramirez could’ve sat back and waited, but he kept searching for an available site. When one reopened in Los Angeles, Ramirez got there as quickly as he could. He’s now an officially licensed EMT, ready to serve his community during these troubled times. Photo courtesy of Michael Ramirez. Used with permission.

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