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It’s the middle of final exams. The clock is ticking. Pencils furiously scribble away. When suddenly, Matteo Yoon gets distracted by something: an alert for a nearby structure fire.

Being a paid firefighter at the University Fire Department and a student at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) can be a lot to handle sometimes. But Matteo wouldn’t have it any other way. This rare combination lets him learn in the classroom and in the field while extinguishing blazes.

While it’s rare that he gets interruptions at school to be called into action, he appreciates how his captain works with his professors to accommodate his schedule. The hard work back at the station, however, is always there.

He begins his tours with a hand-off from the previous shift, then quickly gets to work helping inspect everything. He makes sure the rigs are in working order and all the equipment is where it needs to be. After all, they could get called into action at any time. Throughout the day, they train and get updates on the work that’s planned for that shift. Come 5 o’clock, things wind down and he bonds with his platoon over a group meal at the station. Matteo has found his place – yet it was an interesting road that got him here.

Diagnosed with Kawasaki Disease, which inflamed his blood vessels at an early age, he knew the ins and outs of hospitals all too well. That didn’t make the pokes of a needle or the treatment any easier though. What it did do, however, was give him exposure to the medical staff, and later, a greater appreciation for all they did for him. It would fuel his fire to give back. His first love, though, was engineering.

As a kid, Matteo was always fixing things. Always tinkering. Always playing with Legos and building big dreams. It was a passion he carried with him throughout childhood and high school. Growing up in a family that wasn’t well off, his father was overjoyed that his son had interest in a stable, safe office job like engineering. Then Matteo came to a pointed conclusion: being an engineer was less about the hands-on building he enjoyed so much and more about designing plans, which he wasn’t as interested in. What’s more, with a degree like that, he’d be doing a lot of it. 

During this time, a friend invited Matteo along to an EMT class she was taking. There, he learned all about the role and how much EMTs do to help people. The seed was planted. Matteo arranged his schedule so he could take EMT classes at night without interrupting his high school classes during the day. Later, he attended an open house by the Anchorage Fire Explorers and learned of a different kind of engineering – the kind that put out flames. Matteo knew what he wanted to do with his life.

There was just one last hurdle to overcome. He had to convince his father.

A man who came from humble beginnings near the rice fields of Korea, Matteo’s dad knew the value of an advanced education. He was given the chance to study at a university and wanted Matteo to have the same opportunities that he had with an advanced degree. Little did he know, his son’s dream career would offer just that. Matteo recalled his father would often say, "I've noticed with you that if you're really passionate about something, you put your mind to it and get really good at it really quick." Which is what Matteo did. He thought of a way to convince his parents of his career change.

He created a presentation for them profiling the line of work, where it could take him, and gave a  synopsis of UAF’s degree in Homeland Security and Emergency Management. There, he could go on to have a career in fire administration or emergency medical administration or management. Above all else, he’d have the bachelor’s degree his family so desperately wanted for him. Additionally, he put together a 5-year plan for them which included earning a UA Scholars Award that could pay for a part of his education. All he needed to do was remain in the top 10% of his class – which he did.

Though still a bit reluctant, his parents supported their son in his dream. They could see his passion for it all and encouraged him to move north from Anchorage to Fairbanks to fulfill it.

Today, he is intrigued by the way flames work with different materials as he studies topics like fire behavior and combustion. He’s also overcoming one of his greatest fears – talking in front of large groups – in his public speaking class. His dream is to move back to Anchorage one day as a firefighter paramedic and help the community that took such great care of him.

But for now, he needs to take care of a fire in Fairbanks.