2024 Grad Spotlight: Emilee Reynolds

In 2022, Emilee Reynolds graduated from Lincolnton High School and, as a College Now student, she earned an associate degree from Gaston College the same month. At that time, she had planned to attend UNC-Charlotte and continue on to medical school to become a doctor. 

However, Emilee developed a love for the field of Emergency Medical Services after completing the summer EMT certificate program at Gaston College in 2022, and her long-term goals changed. She began the Associate in Applied Science Paramedic program in January 2023 and graduated in May 2024. She now plans to pursue a part-time job as a paramedic while completing her four-year degree in integrated health science at Western Carolina University. 

After getting that degree, Emilee hopes to be accepted into Physician’s Assistant program and further her career as a health care provider. 

Attending Gaston College has consistently been a wonderful experience for Emilee, and she is especially grateful to instructors Carrie Gillilan and Chad Parlier, who have been “amazing advocates for the paramedic students’ education,” she said. 

“Emilee is an extremely bright and very dedicated student. She works hard and it shows,” said Chad Parlier. “She has been an A student during the entire paramedic program has always stepped up and helped her classmates. She has grown over the last year and is what I would consider not only a model for her other classmates, but a leader with her dedication to excel within the paramedic curriculum.”