From oil fields to ambulances: MCC grad Patrick Blackwell finds calling
Patrick Blackwell sees service as his way of life.
Last week, the 33-year-old received his associate of applied science degree and certificate in paramedic from Meridian Community College. It was the kind of moment that meant more than a diploma — it marked years of service, sacrifice, and starting over.
Blackwell graduated from Meridian High School in 2011 and started college at MCC soon after. But, like many, his journey took a different path. “I came for about two years,” he said. “Then life happened.”
Blackwell joined the oil field, working in five different states and winding up as floor hand on a rig. When that job ended, he returned to his Mississippi.
Then came firefighting, the military, and then paramedic school.
“I was a volunteer fireman for three years, and I realized I really liked it,” he said. “So, I decided to see if I could do it for real.”
He did. Now, he serves as a firefighter at Meridian’s Station One and is also a combat medic with the Army National Guard. He’s been deployed overseas, including time in Kuwait, and said those experiences — working alongside paramedics and physicians — sparked something.
“I got bit by the EMS bug,” he said. “I saw a need that needed to be met.”
Back home, he helped launch an advanced life support truck for the City of Meridian thanks to Meridian Fire Department Chief Michael Evans. It’s a small red pickup you might see racing to a scene.
“That’s my truck,” he said. “We started it to help Metro Ambulance Service out. I’ve been a servant to the community pretty much.”
His time at MCC hasn’t been easy. Between working 48-hour shifts at the firehouse, military training, family life, and college classes, he’s juggled more than most.
“When I picked up my cap and gown, I had just finished a 48-hour firehouse shift and a 24-hour clinical,” he said. “Slept for a few hours, then came to campus.”
Blackwell is also a husband and a dad. He used MCC’s veterans services to navigate benefits and coursework. “Shaquita Hopson Alfonso helped me a lot,” he said. “If something came up and needed to figure something out, we’d work through it together.”
His elementary school instructor, Janet Parrett, greeted Blackwell when he came to pick up his cap and gown for the College’s commencement. Parrett serves at MCC as the assistant to the registrar and was manning the desks where soon-to-be graduates were collecting their graduation regalia.
She remembers him as a smart, energetic student - long before paramedic school. “He works hard. He serves his country. He makes me proud every day,” she said.
Blackwell was named Outstanding Paramedic Student and received the Sonny Montgomery Scholarship. But even with awards, degrees, and experience, he’s not done learning.
He’s also a licensed ham radio operator and nearly finished with courses for Mississippi Civil Defense Emergency Management. Two more classes and he’ll be eligible to direct emergency operations for a county.
But as for his ultimate goal?
“I don’t know yet,” he said with a laugh. “I don’t turn down free school. If I can learn it and do it, why not? If somebody else can do it, why can’t I?”
For more information on Meridian Community College EMS programs, visit our Emergency Medical Science Academy.