Last summer, Korrissa Johnson had a conversation with her mother that led her to Fort Dodge.
Johnson, a native of Council Bluffs, was unsure what she wanted to do with her life.
Enter Iowa Central.
"I decided to get into firefighting this past June when talking with my mom about what I wanted to do for my future career," Johnson said. "I've been a certified lifeguard for the past three years and love working in the role of a first responder. I also knew I wanted a very physically demanding job, so firefighting fit into my dream career."
Along with being able to offer the Fire Science program Johnson was intrigued by, she had the opportunity to join the nationally-ranked Triton bowling team. As a senior at Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln, Johnson placed 19th at the Class 2A state tournament after winning a district title.
"Being apart of the bowling team here at Iowa Central is so fun and gives you a support system when students are away from home," Johnson said. "Being apart of this team is amazing. When we compete together we play as one player. I have been apart of another college bowling program before and they did not focus on being one team member and you can't succeed individually.
"Here at Iowa Central, we focus on encouraging each other to get better because a team is only as strong as their weakest player. We can always count on each other for help with bowling and schoolwork, which makes it so much easier for some student-athletes to succeed.
"In our bowling program, we do not think that winning is the most important outcome but working as a team and communicating with each other is what makes the best team we can possibly be."
That same idea carries over into firefighting, which Johnson has learned through such classes as Fundamentals of Firefighting, which teaches the skills needed to know how to perform to respond to structural fires and vehicle extractions.
"I would tell anyone who is thinking about joining any fire science program to do it," she said. "The experience is like nothing else and cannot be duplicated. If you realize like I did being in the program for a couple of weeks that firefighting is what you want to do with your career, it is so rewarding.
"In this program, the learning material is so diverse you never get bored of it. We not only learn how to do fire attacks but we also learn how to read airflow, building construction and size up, hazmat operations, vehicle mechanics and how to operate powered tools that help with firefighting operations.
"This job is about continuing your learning to make it easier along the way and a great way to stay physically in shape through your life. Hands down the most rewarding career."
It has come with some bumps in the road, though, as Johnson admits "firefighting is a male-dominated career."
"For example, I am currently the only woman enrolled in the fire science program this year and with that being said, I did have to deal with a few men not being open-minded about me being able to do everything that they can do," she said. "Besides those few, most of my class is very supportive and will go out of their way to help me succeed just like I would do for them. The fire service, in general, seems to now be encouraging more women to join and see that women are just as strong and smart as men, and very much contribute to the service."
As for her future, Johnson wants to complete her course studies before finding a new environment to work in.
"My plans are to move out of Iowa to a warmer climate, possibly Hawaii, and work with a wildland firefighter agency," Johnson said. "Also, look into pilot school to learn how to fly helicopters for work."
-By Dana Becker