CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The decision to get into a career in public safety is one some say is more of a calling than a decision.
Thursday, hundreds of high school students came to Hawthorne Academy of Health Sciences to get hands-on experience of what this path includes.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools students had the opportunity to be in SWAT and rescue vehicles from law enforcement agencies. They could feel and touch some of the equipment they would use if they choose a career in the field.
Students from Hawthorne and Julius L. Chambers High School spent about 30 minutes talking with agencies, from the federal to the local level.
"I want to be either a forensic scientist or I want to go into being a detective or cop because I really like the idea of like solving crimes or mysteries and stuff," said 15 -year-old Kimberlee Ross, a Hawthorne Academy student. "I just find it like really, like exhilarating."
The students could sign up for career opportunities on the spot; Mecklenburg County's EMS agency Medic was enrolling students into free EMT training classes.
“We've been showing the students all the different medications or different equipment that we keep here back on the ambulance and letting them know that sure they might want they might want to be a doctor they want might want to be a nurse," said Lester Oliva with Medic. "But there's other ways to get to your end goal."
This is the district's first public safety showcase. It was organized by the Hawthorne Academy ASAP Program.
“These are some of the things that we learn about in the classroom. So I wanted to bring it to real life, take it away from TV, take it away from the movies, and put it right here on the parking lot," said Kristin Tolmon, CMPD's safety and protection liaison for Hawthorne Academy.
Students didn’t just talk to agencies; they got to experience some responsibilities of the job.
"I really like the physical activities because I like doing running around and stuff like that," said Exaudi Berod, a Hawthorne student. "Really, it'd be really fun because I can do like pushups, burpees pull-ups."
Students said it was worthwhile to step out of the classroom and into the action.
Contact Shamarria Morrison at smorrison@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.