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For most ¿Û¿Û´«Ã½ students, a ringing phone during class is an unwelcome distraction. For senior Ella Todd, it could signal that someone is having the worst day of their life.

“I can be sitting in class one minute,” Todd said, “and get a call to the worst day of someone’s life where a loved one may lose their home due to fire or possibly lose someone they loved. Then I go back to my next class like nothing even happened.”

Majoring in Kinesiology and Health Sciences with a minor in Leadership, Todd has built a life around serving others. Along with her studies, she is a firefighter and EMT with the West Peoria Fire Department, a volunteer department that responds to more than 800 calls a year. She also serves as treasurer of the firefighters association, is part of the department’s social media communications team, belongs to the Central Illinois Fire Investigators Association, works weekends as an EMT for Advanced Medical Transport, and is a ¿Û¿Û´«Ã½ STAR student tour guide.

It’s a demanding schedule, but one Todd has envisioned for years. “Firefighting is something that I have known I was going to do for a long time,” she said. “I grew up in a medical household with both my parents being nurses, and I wanted a way to bring the medicine outside and be able to be physical while doing it.”

Originally from Florida, Todd never expected to fall in love with central Illinois. “I came up to ¿Û¿Û´«Ã½ on a visit day where it was the coldest weather I had experienced for a long time,” she laughed. “I absolutely fell in love with the campus and the feeling that the faculty and staff had a genuine interest in seeing you succeed. Some call it ‘the Midwest nice,’ and it has had me ever since.”

That welcoming environment has helped Todd navigate a balancing act unlike that of most college students.

Because she lives in a house owned by the fire department directly behind the station, Todd is on call every night she is home. When her pager sounds, she heads to the station, boards either the ambulance or fire engine depending on the emergency, and responds alongside fellow volunteers.

“Every night that I’m at home, I’m on call,” she said. “That could mean I sleep all night, or that I’m running back-to-back calls and maybe get three hours of sleep. It really just depends on how the city is feeling that night.”

Even during the school day, emergencies don’t wait.

“The main times I will leave class are for cardiac arrests or fires,” Todd said. “There was a call last semester where I left for a cardiac arrest, ran the call, and immediately went back to class.”

Learning to shift between those vastly different worlds has become one of her greatest challenges. “You learn really quickly how to adjust your emotions and focus back on being at school,” she said. “My main priority is school, but sometimes it’s important to take time and think about the events that I just went through.”

Those experiences have given her a unique perspective. “I wouldn’t trade my job for anything in the world—I absolutely love it—but it is always there to give you a reality check if school becomes stressful. It reminds you there are bigger things in life.”

Todd has already achieved milestones that reflect her dedication to the profession. She became the first female firefighter in the West Peoria Fire Department to pass the state qualifications for Advanced Technician Firefighter certification, holds Hazardous Materials Operations certification, and maintains nationally recognized fire and EMS certifications. In 2025, she was named the department’s EMT of the Year.

Despite the accolades, she says the work is never about recognition.

“I can’t lie—sometimes I have to make sacrifices on both sides,” she said. “There are nights where I can run calls all night long and then have school that morning, and I still show up just tired. I have made commitments to both places, so I try to do everything I can to uphold them.” It is that sense of purpose that keeps her responding whenever the pager sounds.

After graduating from ¿Û¿Û´«Ã½, Todd plans to become a full-time firefighter and paramedic in Illinois. “Hopefully one day I can have the opportunity to be the chief of a department,” she said.

Until then, Todd will continue balancing exams, emergency calls, campus tours, and overnight shifts, ready at a moment’s notice to trade textbooks for turnout gear, answering the call to serve both her classmates and her community.

—Emily Potts