Jumping from high school to college, or immediately into a career, can be a huge transition. We paired seniors and alumni who made similar transitions — one pair moving from high school to college at UC Berkeley, and one pair going into firefighting — and had them share advice, ask questions and voice their concerns. From consulting club at Berkeley to interviewing for firefighting jobs, the experience and guidance that these alumni provide hint at the amazing things to come. Nordic interviewed each senior individually, and then structured the alumni interviews around the senior’s hopes, questions and concerns.
Senior #1: Akhila Lankalapalli (she/her), class of 2025
Alum #1: Emily Mo (she/her), class of 2024
E: “My advice is just, always be open to trying new things. I think in high school I was very much a Type A person. I had many different things I was involved in, and then I managed my time very carefully, but at Berkeley I learned it’s okay to be spontaneous, that’s sometimes what you remember the most in life. And like, those spontaneous decisions that might push you back in assignment or make you late on something are sometimes worth it, because that’s what you remember.”
Nordic: How social is the campus?
E: “It’s actually pretty social, especially for a top school. There’s a pretty active Greek life. And then one thing that’s really unique about Berkeley is that there’s a really active consulting club culture… I think that, in general, the social culture at Berkeley is what you make of it. But I think in terms of social life, it does not lack compared to other schools.”
Nordic: Have you had any trouble getting the classes you want at Berkeley? If someone did have trouble getting classes, what advice would you give them?
E: “Just always have a backup plan. In life, you’re never going to get exactly what you want, but that might lead you to discover another class, like, maybe you were planning to take a requirement further down the road, but not because you didn’t get what you wanted for your major. You have to take that requirement, right? Don’t sulk too much over that. Eventually, you’ll get the class you want because as you get older, your priority goes forward. Just take whatever you need to take now, always have a backup plan and everything will be okay. Nothing will lead to the end of the world.”
Nordic: How do you feel about the independence that college has given you?
E: “It’s definitely one of the best parts of college, especially if you’re going out of state. I feel like you get so much more area to grow.”
Nordic: What are the different activities you can do at Berkeley outside of classes and clubs?
E: “There’s a lot of other athletic clubs, like I also tried calisthenics at Berkeley and things like that. I know a lot of people, specifically at Berkeley, they go to (San Francisco). They just follow up around with their friends, and that’s often times a lot of fun for them. There’s always something to do.”
Nordic: How long does it take for you to not get lost around campus?
E: “Give it a week; you gotta lock in. You can’t be lost 24/7.”
Senior #2: Joy Flahiff (she/her), class of 2025
Alum #2: Cian Portugal (he/him), class of 2019
Nordic: What do you like best about firefighting?
C: “The days go by really quick. It’s just how you can go on a vast variety of different calls, and then just the training that’s involved with being ready to go on all those types of calls. It’s really fun. Just trying to stay sharp on like such a wide range of skills is one thing that I really, really enjoy about the job, and then just being able to hang out with, not hanging out with, but work with such cool people from all different walks of life. There’s just like my crew alone, just like the range of people’s backgrounds before they got hired is super impressive and cool, kind of just how we all have very different paths to get here, but now we’re all kind of working together.”
Nordic: Do you have any advice on taking the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians test?
C: “For the NREMT, I would say just keep it simple. At the end of the day, the NREMT is for basic life support, so for an EMT certification. If you just stick to ABCs — which is airway, breathing, circulation — that’s gonna give you most of the answers. It’s just keeping it simple. A lot of questions are these super long, wordy scenarios and whatnot, but really, all they want you to do is identify either scene safety or ABCs.”
Nordic: Do you have any experience with wildland firefighting, or any advice for someone who is thinking about that?
C: “I know it’s a really good job to do in the summer for colleges. I know a ton of college students will get out, and I think you guys get out May, and then you work the whole wildland season, so all summer long. You get a pretty good paycheck by the end of the summer, but it’s hard work and definitely long hours. But I know there’s a ton of opportunities for college-age students to go get wildland experience, and I know it’s a super great way to kind of add to your resume and get more experience to then talk about in future interviews to try and get hired full time.”
Nordic: What’s your experience with firefighter interviews? Do you have any advice on how to have them go well?
C: “My biggest piece of advice would just be to have have some answers prepped, and then, more importantly, have stories prepped. They really want to hear a story that ties into whatever question they’re asking, and you can kind of hold a couple different examples to fit different questions, to just have, I’d say five really good stories that show core values of integrity or hard work.”
Nordic: Do you have any final takeaways or advice you’d want to give?
C: “Don’t lose hope. Stay persistent. If you want to be a firefighter, and that’s the career route you want to do, just keep testing, keep interviewing. It can take people a really long time, or it can take people like, their first time. So don’t get discouraged. If somebody else gets hired right away and you don’t — it just takes a lot of work. It’s all about timing. The right department will hire you in the end.”
