6th Annual HHTCC - Cheilynn Hansen

Being able to go to this conference was a big eye opener for me as far as moving forward with my education. I learned a lot from this conference. I learned that college can be very stressful. Despite struggles we go through we can be anything we want as long as we put our mind and time into it. A lot of these people have come from literally nothing, and were still able to follow their dreams. It was really inspiring to see these people persevere despite the amount of setbacks they were challenged with. So that proves to me that no matter what I go through I can do anything. If they can overcome so much and be as successful as they are, then the only thing holding me back is myself really.

Something I hadn’t taken into consideration was the mental and emotional toll some of these careers can have on a person. Donceya Bertalotto said that PTSD is a very big issue when it comes to being an EMT. More often than not, “you take your work home with you.” This is understandable as sometimes you are the last person someone sees or talks to in an emergency. This conference helped me understand so much in so many ways. I talked to some colleges. I got some really good insight into the reality of furthering my education. Donceya Bertalotto was my favorite speaker because in my eyes I feel she was the person whom had overcome the most. She shared a lot of her journey with us and showed me that I can be a lot of things. Whichever career I chose to follow next doesn’t have to be my only one.

Knowing her struggles made me realize things in my life really aren’t as bad as they seem to be. The bonding I had with my group while we were up there was the best experience of my life and the opportunity to go to this conference was amazing. The conference brought me together with my classmates and made us a family. Being able to do things like this is what makes me stronger as a person.