Geovanni Castillo

Geo is a Senior at Warren, currently in the Firefighting program at Tech Campus. Geo enrolled at Tech to follow in the footsteps of his family members who were firefighters before him. For #CTEMonth, he shared part of his story, surrounding his fascination for the trade at an early age.

“I did this because I wanted to help people,” Geo said. “I want to know that I am doing right by my community so that when my parents see me, they know I am making a difference.”

The Firefighting program is run like a true fire academy, as students go through various exercises to prepare them for fighting fires in the real world. While they do have time in a traditional classroom setting, most of the time students are out on the engine, pulling hoses and experiencing the trade.

“First we learned how to get all of our suits on fast because we have to respond quickly,” Geo said. “They showed us all the tools and how to use them.”

Next year, Geo will head to CLC to complete his degree in Fire Science. In the meantime, he will work part-time at the Winthrop Harbor fire department. His passion for firefighting was evident before he started the course, but going through the Tech program has only helped Geo to set higher goals.

“We’re like a family [at Tech], and we help each other out,” Geo said. “We support each other, and push past the obstacles that we face.”