Growing up, sophomore Thomas Hummel was influenced greatly by his parents, who both work to help others. As the years passed, his passion also became unbearable. Now, for the past three years, he has been a registered emergency medical responder, or EMR.

“Once you start, you really can’t stop in this profession. You can’t just come into a profession and say, ‘Eh, I don’t know if I really want to do this.’ All the hands-on, everything you learn, you can’t just put it aside,” Hummel said. “You have to put it all in the practice. It is a lot to do and a lot to learn. It’s something you have to know you really want to do.”

He works for Cetronia Ambulance Corps, and he is able to choose his own hours. He works with a crew of two other people, an emergency medical technician (EMT), and a paramedic. Their main responsibilities are to help out when needed and keep some of the medical papers in order.

“I have always had a passion for being in the emergency field. My dad is a police officer and I have had a lot of fun experiences having his friends take me out in emergency vehicles doing fun stuff,” Hummel said. “My mom is also in the health field as a senior tech assistant at Lehigh Valley Health Network Laboratories, so I’m constantly surrounded by it.”

Being an EMR is not only time consuming, but it also impacts the volunteers in many different ways.

“I used to be a troublemaker as a little kid. I never listened much and I was always doing my own thing,” Hummel said. “Being in the medical field, I’ve been able to get myself to be professional now. It’s helped me a lot because now I know skills that no normal person would know, and it’s just a great experience.”

Even though he is fully committed to the job, there are still some incidents that he wishes he didn’t have to encounter.

“There have been people on the verge of death that we have resuscitated through CPR,” Hummel said. “There have also been times where we have arrived on scene and the patient has been dead and there was nothing we could really do.”

However, there is one reason why Hummel continues to volunteer, day after day.

“One of my favorite parts is having the ultimate joy of knowing that someone’s bad day was turned into a good one,” he said.

Many of Hummel’s friends and teachers respect him because of all the hard work he does and are proud of him for doing what makes him happy.

“I think this is beneficial for any student, but especially for Tom because I know he will have a future in it,” health and physical education teacher Mr. Matthew Hummel said. “It also shows a lot about Tom’s personality, that he’s giving of his time and cares about the wellbeing of others.”

Day after day, Thomas Hummel continues to help others in any way he is able. Although the job can be stressful and very time consuming, he is fully dedicated to being an EMR.

“I think this makes him a good person,” sophomore Rose Rivera said. “He is constantly concerned about the wellbeing of others. He’s a good person to have around.”