By: Levi Brown
Senior Rhys Cohoon is practicing to become an emergency medical technician (EMT) after high school.
Cohoon has many interests. He was a goalkeeper on the varsity men’s soccer team and likes cooking and outside of school.
But he said it was athletic trainer Erin Samuels who inspired him to become an EMT after he took sports med one and two with her.
“Being around her so much and seeing how she’s been helping others all the time, I think that really piqued my interest,” said Cohoon. “I want to be able to help people as much as she does.”
Cohoon also pointed out that his uncle is a flight nurse with the US Air Force, which also gave him some insight into the profession. Cohoon is already on the way to becoming certified, as he has already taken a Durham Tech class as suggested by his mom. Plus,
he has passed his certification exam, so all he needs is to wait until he is 18 so he can begin to apply for jobs.
In addition to driving ambulances, EMTs provide life saving measures at the scene of the medical emergency. If the situation is severe, they bring them to the hospital for further treatment.
“[Helping people] is one of the things that I still try to do just in small things during the day,” he said.
Outside of EMT work, Cohoon plans to keep playing soccer.
While his time playing for Riverside is done, he reminisced about his time on the team, “I don’t really know where I’d be without [my teammates],” he said. “I think just the relationship I’ve built with my them, and the same with some of the coaches have really helped me out.”
He specifically called out fellow seniors Liam Gergen and Noah Wenzlik as teammates.
“[I’m] so glad to have met through this team,” he said, “They’ve been so amazing.”
