Student Colten C.B. Hajicek traveled from Redmond, Washington, to become a Penn College Wildcat.

“The question I get asked most often is ‘Why? Why did you travel across the country to come to the middle of Pennsylvania?’” Hajicek said.

He had solid reasons: to pursue his dream of becoming a paramedic and to continue his passion for playing lacrosse.

“I was playing in a lacrosse tournament when my friend went into cardiac arrest on the field,” Hajicek said. “That’s when I knew I wanted to be a paramedic. I searched all over for a school that offered a paramedic program and lacrosse. That’s when I found Penn College.”

When he found that he could pair his paramedic education with a bachelor’s in emergency management & homeland security – allowing him to play four years – he was sold.

“Right away, I emailed Penn College lacrosse coach Jordan Williams and asked him if there was a spot on his team,” Hajicek said.

“Colten is the definition of what we are looking for in a young man on and off the field,” Williams said. “He is an excellent student who is passionate about his studies. He is a great teammate who always does what is needed for the team, and, on the field, he brings a level of competitiveness and work ethic that makes other guys match his energy.”

During his Wildcat career thus far, the midfielder has been named to the United East All-Conference second team and twice been named a United East scholar-athlete.

Hajicek credits the latter to Penn College’s hallmark applied technology approach.

“Penn College was the one school I wanted to attend, and I have succeeded here in this environment more than I have before, due to the hands-on curriculum,” he said.

During three years of Rotorfest, an event planned by students in emergency management & homeland security, Hajicek has applied his budding skills as the incident commander, operations section chief and air branch communications unit director. Rotorfest brings hundreds of high school students, emergency response professionals and impressive equipment – like Coast Guard, State Police and Geisinger helicopters – together on campus.

“As students, we get to plan the entire event. We invite all the agencies, create the incident management plans and form a command team. And, when the event starts, we execute the plans we designed,” Hajicek explained.

“Rotorfest is real: It’s not a simulation written on paper or in a textbook that I have to read. It is a real-life experience guided by our instructors,” he continued. “Having the ability and the trust from our instructors to be put in the role of the incident commander gives me the experience and confidence to conquer any challenges I may face after I graduate.”

In the paramedic program (which recently transitioned from an associate degree to a 12-month certificate offered through Workforce Development at Penn College), Hajicek is grateful for students’ clinical shifts in hospitals and on ambulances.

“I have had experiences of dealing with heart attack symptoms all the way to helping deliver a baby,” said Hajicek, who received the Paramedic Humanitarian Award at the college’s August commencement ceremony. “We can sit in a lecture and practice skills in a lab all we want, but nothing beats the real-life experience out in the field.”

Even while in the classroom, he said, he’s soaking in real-world wisdom from experienced instructors and using industry-standard technology – much of it donated by the college’s corporate partners.

“To me, Penn College hires people who are dedicated, knowledgeable, experienced, willing, and wanting to teach the next generation their craft,” Hajicek said.

Hajicek is making the most of it.

“Whether he is on the field or not, we as a staff know that Colten is doing everything he can to be successful,” his lacrosse coach said. “He is a someone who truly cares about the little things, is constantly on the hunt to improve, and wants to bring others along with him on that pursuit.”

“Playing for coach Williams has been an amazing experience. I was able to find a second family across the country with my team,” Hajicek said.

His Penn College experience enabled him to pursue his love for lacrosse and paramedicine – and uncovered a new passion that will empower him to impact many.

“Although a degree in emergency management would allow me to play four years of lacrosse, I was most interested in the paramedic program,” Hajicek recalled of his initial Penn College plans. “But I soon fell in love with both. I wanted to become a paramedic to help people in their darkest moments, and through my emergency management classes, I have learned that I can help more than just the individual: I can help communities. I may have come to Penn College originally for paramedicine, but I will leave as a paramedic and emergency manager.”

Hajicek expresses deep gratitude for his coaches and his faculty, and for all those who support Penn College’s academic and athletic offerings.

“Your contributions have made not only my dreams come true, but the dreams of every student who has come here,” he said.