Cassidy Simms is a proud alumnus of Central High School. She was a Purple Pounder all four years and graduated in 2018. For the entirety of her time at Central, she was a softball player as well as a member of the Beta Club and National Honors Society the latter part of her time here. Simms’ most cherished memory was when the softball team won the sectionals game her freshman year. “[We] got our bid to the state tournament in softball,” she recalled.

Central helped prepare Simms to deal with many aspects of her life as an adult. Her schedule being crammed with AP classes, softball, and her part-time job, taught her to maintain a healthy, yet effective balance of life and school.

After graduating, she attended Chattanooga State Community College. The medical field had always piqued Simms’ interest.

“I began my college journey as pre-medicine in hopes of becoming a physician, but my plans soon changed as I got involved with Emergency Medical Services,” she informed the Digest.

Simms graduated with an associate’s degree in biology. Now her plans for the future are to obtain her paramedic license, as well as gain valuable experience. She is also considering becoming a flight paramedic in which she would provide medical help to those transported to the hospital via helicopter.

Today you can find her working in the critical care unit at CHI Memorial. Simms is delighted to say that she enjoys her time at Memorial.

“I’m always learning, growing, and improving my skills. My co-workers always take the time to teach and I get to learn things that I’ve never heard of before. [The Critical Care Unit has] also been the one for COVID-19 for [the past] two years, as well. This brought many different challenges to us working through it- mentally, physically, and emotionally. It’s taught me a lot and it’s truly shaped me into the individual I am today,” she said.

In addition, Simms is also an emergency medical responder at the Tri-Community Volunteer Fire Department. She enjoys how every day is different from the last.

“You never know what you’re going get with [each day], but you know that you’re going to make a difference in someone’s life with every interaction you make out there,” she explained.

“My advice to high school students going into college is to be patient. Not everyone’s path looks the same going through college and things may take longer than you had planned or hoped for. You may start off a pre-medicine student and end up a paramedic. You may change your major 15 times before finally finding your true calling. You may fail a class. You may hate organic chemistry. You may feel like your never going to finish. I promise, though, it does get better. You will always end up where you need to be at the exact time that you’re meant to be there. Always be patient and trust that everything will be okay in the end. In the meantime, appreciate the little moments that you don’t get back. Enjoy the time that you have while you’re in college. It’s fun, it’s stressful, but it’s a time you’ll never get back. Appreciate it for all that it is.”