As part of our ongoing series that highlights NHTI alumni, the following blog post is written by Bill Walden, NHTI class of 1996.
My name is Bill Walden and I attended NHTI from 1994 to 1996 where I graduated from the Paramedic Program.
My path in life has traversed many landscapes since I left school. I worked as a paramedic for a number of years before transitioning in to respiratory therapy. My instructors prepared me very well for this transition even though it was more than a decade after graduating. They instilled in all of us a thirst to learn and a desire to do better and move beyond our own personal exceptions. They also taught us the value of personal responsibility always working at the highest level we were capable of. That is a mindset I have carried with me in all facets of my life. When I interact with students, coworkers, and even my own children, I try to bring the passion and patience my instructors had when I was a student.
More recently, I have had the opportunity to pay back a small portion of what I gained at the school. In 2015 I (along with some other very talented people) was able to open a small local brewery close to the campus. We opened our facility to the NHTI chemistry department as a remote learning site so that the students could learn chemistry through a hands-on, real-world approach by brewing beer. The course (in true NHTI fashion) touches on more than just chemistry. The students are exposed to business, graphic arts, advertising, and most importantly a real-world view of what they are learning. I am excited and pleased to be allowed to help educate the students the way I was educated.
