Walking into class at 7:30 a.m., she quickly puts on her bunker gear. Each piece adding more weight for her to carry, she receives instructions from fire chief Curtis Burt and begins going through drills. Senior Haley Dorr joined the NCTC firefighting program and prepares to become a firefighter once she graduates, hoping to set up her future for success.

“What I like about the program is [the] opportunity for me to gain college credit and real-world experience while I’m still in high school,” Dorr said. “I really like helping people and I think it’s something important to do.”

Her natural love for helping others plays a major role within the program’s class. The trust her friends and fire captain have in her runs deep and they rely on her to always give her all.

“I always have her remind me of things I need to get done and she takes care of all the paperwork that goes on in the class,” Burt said. “She’s like my notepad when I can’t remember things; she’s always there to keep me straight and keeps the guys doing what they’re supposed to be doing.”

Dorr always tries to do her best not only in the program, but also in her day-to-day life. She takes on difficult classes including AP Environmental Science and AP Government, and outside of school, she attended a karate dojo until recently for 10 years.

“[Karate] helped me physically [and] endurance wise,” Dorr said. “Say when you’re sparring, you have to be able to control your movements but still hit hard. That’s an important part I feel has helped me in [the firefighter program] because if you’re swinging a hammer, you want to make sure you hit it hard and [in] the spot you need.”

Before Dorr stopped taking karate, she was able to achieve her second-degree black belt. Doing so was difficult for her. She had to dedicate herself to training to become better. Dorr applies the mental strength she gained from karate to her problem solving in her fire studies and studies in class.

“She is extremely smart,” senior Dani Wright said. “She’s a very responsible person, she knows how to handle herself and she knows how to work with what she’s got. She’s inspired me to do better in school because I see her doing well and I see her prospering and I want to do that.”

As a member of the program, she is expected to work with others and show the same respect she would want to be shown. The firefighting program has refined her and made her grow. She gladly assists others with what they need.

“[The program has] reinforced some of the stuff I’ve been taught like being on time and being respectful to everyone no matter who [they] are,” Dorr said. “I knew public service was something I wanted to go into. I want to do something that’ll help people.”