- I'm Corrie Beall. I'm a Sierra College alum.
I went to University of Redlands,
and after I graduated with a bachelor of science
in business there,
I moved up to Lake Tahoe and got a career year in accounting.
But I realized that I wanted a job that challenged me more.
I saw a girl get hit by a car, and I wanted to help,
but didn't really know enough about it.
So, I signed up for an EMT class after that.
After that, I applied to Sierra's Fire Academy.
I got accepted,
and then everything happened really fast, actually.
Career technical education is classes
that are just to a specific field that teaches
you everything from fire safety to basic fire behavior,
all the mechanics of different skills
that you need for basic firefighting.
I graduated December of 2014.
I saw the job at UC Davis,
and immediately, like, sparked a smile on my face.
My mom lives in Davis and my dad lives in Woodland,
which is, like, 15 minutes away.
I thought it was the third interview when the chief
called me and said, "Hey, I'd like to see you in my office."
It turned out to be a job offer, and I just didn't believe him
when he first told me.
I was like, like, you're lying. You're playing with me.
Like, who set you up?
There was over 300 applicants, and three of us got hired.
It's great. It's great. It's awesome.
'Cause it's not just a career, like everybody becomes family.
Thinking back to Sierra,
like, that stuff that I learned was priceless,
because now it's like I'm using it every day on my job,
every single day.