MDU Resources Teen of the Week: Century High senior standout licensed as EMT
Like some students in their final year of high school, Moorea Knapp, a senior at Century High School in Bismarck, feels she has a good idea of what career she'd like to pursue after graduation. Unlike most, Knapp is already licensed to practice in her intended occupation.
"I'm most proud of my EMT license," she said. "When I was a sophomore, there was a fall leadership conference for HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) at the Heritage Center, and (Bismarck State College) had their EMT program come down and present. I just thought it was the coolest thing ever."
While she was too young at the time to apply, Knapp kept her sights set on this goal. And like most goals she's set for herself, she was able to accomplish it.
"This past spring I took their night program," she said, "and that was just a lot of work. Between that and dual credit (at BSC), I wasn't officially a full-time student, but I had enough credit that I would've been. ... I had my finals for that class during my AP exams for school, which I apparently did pretty well on, and then I took the national exam and I was state licensed."
Moorea, the daughter of Colin and Caprice Knapp, is the newest Tribune Teen of the Week, sponsored by MDU Resources Group, which includes Montana-Dakota Utilities Co. and WBI Energy Inc., along with Cascade Natural Gas Corp., Intermountain Gas Co. and Great Plains Natural Gas Co. A Teen of the Year will be selected from the weekly winners in the spring and will receive a $5,000 scholarship.
Knapp said both of her parents were "kind of shocked" when she first told them about her aspirations, "but they never said no, and so, to see myself finish it off with a bang, that made all of us very, very happy."
Looking at her resume of achievements thus far, Knapp has already given those closest to her a lot of reasons for happiness. She has a 4.0 GPA and is a National Merit Scholarship semifinalist, AP Scholar with Distinction and a Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation semifinalist. She's won the HOSA State Epidemiology championship twice, qualified nationally as part of the Science Olympiad Team twice, and was also a WDA Acalympiad champion.
Trisha Martin, who was Knapp's Honors English 10 teacher, said in her nomination letter that she feels Moorea's EMT work stands out.
"She volunteers 24 hours a month for a rural ambulance service within 30 miles of her home," Martin said. "Moorea's passion for medicine and desire to help others go hand in hand with her ambition to become an emergency medicine physician."
In addition to her work with the New Salem Ambulance Service, Knapp also volunteers at the Central Dakota Humane Society, works at Bismarck Veterans Memorial Public Library and has served as a middle school volleyball referee with Bismarck Public Schools since her freshman year.
After she graduates this spring, Knapp hopes to attend the University of Florida and pursue a degree in public health.
"I am from Gainesville and have family in the area, so I'm very excited at the possibility of being a Gator," Knapp said, referring to the university's nickname.
And her ultimate ambition is to be able to help people in the moments when they truly need it the most.
"By working as an EMT, I've found a love for treating patients even in dangerous and unpredictable situations, and I hope to continue to do this at a higher level," Knapp said. "I also hope to use my career to give back to the rural communities that have already offered me experience and awareness I would not have otherwise found."
