Mikya Stake

I've very community-oriented and always knew I wanted a career that would allow me to give back. My first step was getting my EMT license when I was 16—the earliest allowed in the state of Pennsylvania. I have been an EMT ever since. I attended homeland security classes at my career and technical education center. While there, I got my Pennsylvania state fire and OSHA 10 certifications. Initially, I thought I might want to be a flight nurse, but I landed on getting my bachelor's in Emergency Management & Homeland Security because I felt that would be a more direct path to the career I want. I'm glad I switched.

I was able to use 15 credits from my CTC coursework. Plus, I took two dual enrollment classes and tested out of two others. My goal is to get my bachelor's degree in two and a half years.

Yes. I didn't get any federal aid so scholarships are really important. From Penn College, I earned the Career & Technical Education Scholarship and the Admissions Scholarship. I also got multiple from my high school.

I'm a live-in at the Montoursville Fire Department, which means I stay at the firehouse for free in exchange for answering calls, a minimum of two shifts per week. There are others from Penn College do this, too. I've been doing this for two semesters, which has allowed me to pay for my summer courses and pay off my car. I also take advantage of their tuition reimbursement program, which helps even more.

Of course. I'm a strategic long-term planner. I think everything through. I'm critical thinker and am always thinking far in advance to make sure I have all of my bases covered.

Sometimes I'm tired through the day when I'm answering calls over night, but it's all a balancing game. Everything goes in my phone or my planner. Time management is my forte. I don't know how to function with nothing to do. And I don't know how to relax.

Yes. I naturally take charge and my instructors see it with all of the activities we do in class. Actually, one of the most recent exercises we did, I was forced to be the incident commander, which meant that I had to stay at the base and trust others to carry out their parts. I think the small class sizes here have allowed my instructors to get to know me and have given me a chance to round out my skills.

Yes, I went to the Dominican Republic for a three-credit service-learning course. We built a house for a family that lost their home to a hurricane. I wished we could have done more, but I know our work meant the world to them. It was very eye-opening and life-changing in a positive way. We take a lot for granted. We handed out water filters. Just being about to provide that was very impactful. We also went to dump where locals work to collect recyclables and taught vacation bible school every day. It was really one of the best experiences, ever.

My goal is to work for the federal government, hopefully in disaster recovery. I would love to do something in the coast guard, on the civilian side. I would also consider a position with FBI, secret service, or CIA.