Athletes become Good Samaritans to fellow student
Sabastian Hernandez and Callie Cowen
Two Meridian Community College athletes stepped up to the plate when an MCC student was in need.
Shortly after the Fall Semester 2022 began, basketball player Callie Cowen, 20, and tennis player Sabastian Hernandez, 19, were in the cafeteria with friends during lunch when they heard a commotion.
"I remember that I turned around and a boy was having a seizure," Cowan said when she witnessed a student in distress. Last year, Cowan enrolled in the First Aid class taught by Brandi Pickett, the wellness and fitness division coordinator, and instructor. Hernandez is a current student in the First Aid class.
"I thought, 'Hey. I'm taking this First Aid class. I should know what to do,'" Hernandez said.
They both sprang into action. "So, I remembered from the class to turn him on his side and don't touch him," Cowen said of the student who became ill. Hernandez raced to get help, going to Pickett's office and getting her assistance, and both returned to the cafeteria.
"When I got there, Callie had the student in the recovery position, checking his pulse and breathing," Pickett said. "I told her how proud I was of her. She looked at me and said, 'I didn't hesitate. I knew what to do.'”
She was also proud of Hernandez, who knew to get someone. "That's pretty much what we had covered thus far to recognize an emergency," Pickett added.
"They are great students and took action in the situation," she said.
The student who became ill has recovered and is back on campus.
Pickett said this was probably the first time she's encountered her students using the skills they learned in a real-life situation on campus. “It's a proud moment – seeing the students blossom and knowing they understand what we teach them," she said.
She added, "they did well."