An event that might derail the plans or dreams of most students became a gift for Penn State junior Savannah Rickard. After being involved in a car crash her senior year of high school, Rickard pushed herself to pursue the goals she had been putting off, including her dream of becoming a firefighter.

Growing up around firefighters and EMS, Rickard always wished she could be a part of the action. It was just a matter of time before she decided to get involved. 

“I just love the adrenaline and the camaraderie you make with other first responders,” she said. “I like how every day is different, and you never know what will happen that day. I always felt like I was called to help people and make a difference.”

After her car crash, Rickard decided she was done waiting for opportunities to just come to her. She wanted to become a firefighter, so she took action to make that dream a reality.

At first, Rickard was nervous to get involved and very unsure where to start. Then, she found a path through Loyalsock, a volunteer fire company where her grandpa had served for over 45 years. She still remembers tagging along as a child, begging him to take her and her younger brother to see the firetrucks. 

Rickard fondly looks back on those visits, knowing even then that someday she was going to be a part of it.

Last May, Rickard felt a push to send in an online application. From there, she was contacted by the fire department to set up an interview. Just a month later, she was voted in as a “probationary” firefighter and began taking classes to get her Firefighter 1 structural certification. 

After a few months with Loyalsock, she decided to join Woodward, a different volunteer company. Her dad joined at the same time, allowing the two to train together and work. 

“It’s been nice going through the whole process with him and taking classes together. It has been a great bonding experience and strengthened our relationship.”

When Rickard came back to school this year, she knew she had to continue volunteering, despite her already packed schedule. She joined Boalsburg’s volunteer company in the fall, continuing to train and take classes in Centre County. This continued involvement only deepened her passion for firefighting and reinforced what she enjoys most about it. 

Though Rickard loves many aspects of firefighting, her favorite parts are responding to calls and the positive impact she makes on others. As soon as she receives a call, she feels an instant adrenaline boost, something that she has come to enjoy over time. More specifically, she takes pride in knowing she has the opportunity to help someone in need. 

“I love being able to help people and make them feel cared for. I just like being there as a person who can help with anything.” 

Rickard translates her passion for helping others into her on-campus involvement, where she is a THON captain as well as a nursing student.  

After her first THON in 2024, Rickard knew that she wanted to become more involved. She wanted to make as much of an impact as she could in the lives of families and children impacted by childhood cancer. 

This past year, Rickard served as the social media captain of the Public Relations committee, where she spread THON’s mission to a larger audience.

“It was nice from a social media perspective to be able to really showcase THON’s mission and provide that outreach to so many people,” Rickard said.

Rickard felt that her role as a THON captain was rewarding because she not only made a positive impact on so many people, but she also truly enjoyed the community she was part of. That same passion for helping others continues to shape her path at Penn State, where she is pursuing a degree in nursing, a vocation she feels called to follow.

After the car accident, Rickard was so impacted by the nurses who cared for her that she decided to pursue the career to make the same impact on others that her nurses made on her.

Looking toward the future, Rickard will be heading to Hershey next semester for her last year of nursing courses. While this is a big change, she looks forward to gaining experience in a new place and continuing to be a firefighter part-time. 

“I’d like to be a firefighter as long as my body allows me to, and volunteer part-time whenever I can.”

Along with firefighting, Rickard hopes to specialize in intensive care or pediatric oncology nursing. She hopes that she can put both of her interests together and potentially be a flight nurse and implement a fire class along the way. 

“Time is too short to not want to do the things that I love,” Rickard said. “I work hard and am involved in so much because I don’t know when I will lose the ability to do the things I love.”