College of Sciences Newsletter

Edition 18

August 10, 2003

This article appeared in the Daily Press on February 27, 2003 about one of our alumni.

Much More Than a Hero By Bobbie Whitehead, Daily Press Bryan Soriano spends many days and nights coming to the rescue of the victim of a head-on auto collision or the person trapped inside a burning house. He describes his duties as not glamorous and sometimes grotesque. But the 26-year-old Chesapeake firefighter and volunteer paramedic at the Bennett's Creek Volunteer Rescue Squad in Suffolk offers his assistance, even if it means getting bloody or burned. "It makes you feel good when you do things to help people," said Soriano, who calls himself a proud American. "To me, being a paramedic, you always get to help people. You get to see things that you normally wouldn't see if you weren't a paramedic." With a bachelor's degree in biology and a minor in chemistry from Old Dominion University, Soriano considered heading off to medical school to be a doctor. After all, his father, his main role model in life, served as a military surgeon for 28 years and continues to practice medicine in Portsmouth. "As I was going through college, I asked myself if that's what I wanted to do based on what my parents said," Soriano said. "I haven't pushed myself in that direction yet. I wanted to see if I could handle what I am doing now." Soriano didn't become a paramedic through the traditional route. He began working as a volunteer at the Bennett's Creek Volunteer Rescue Squad almost six years ago, having earned his cardiopulmonary resuscitation certification. Then, he signed up for classes at Tidewater Community College, where he earned other life-saving certificates. He chose to also volunteer at the Nansemond-Suffolk Volunteer Rescue Squad because he wanted to be able to make more calls. A volunteer at Nansemond-Suffolk was required to pull three 12-hour shifts a month, and a volunteer at the Bennett's Creek squad was required to pull two 12-hour shifts a month. Of course, Soriano volunteered whenever they needed an extra hand, he said. "I never actually followed that rule," he said. "Neither squad always had enough volunteers, so I picked up the extra shifts." While volunteering at the two squads and taking classes to increase his certifications, Soriano also held a part-time job at a medical billing company and attended ODU. His chief at the Bennett's Creek Volunteer Rescue Squad, Sean Edmondson, calls Soriano very dependable. "His dedication to the squad and community makes him stand out," said Edmondson, who's known Soriano for six years. Soriano has been a firefighter for the past year and three months. "I'm a rookie when it comes to fire," he said, "but I've been a paramedic for about five years." As if he doesn't spend enough time working already, Soriano also has another job as a part-time instructor teaching advanced cardiac life support and pediatric advanced life support. "If I could give up something in life, it would be sleeping because then I could do more things," he said. "I like learning, and I'm a highly motivated person. If I don't know something, I'll work really hard to learn it." His dedication, he said, came from watching his parent's work hard to fit into American society. When his parents came to the United States from the Philippines, he said they faced a discrimination and prejudice that he hasn't had to face - at least not to the same degree. "What I do, I don't think is extraordinary, but what my parent have been through is extraordinary," he said. He also used to volunteer with Hospice, the Virginia Marine Science Museum and the Eastern Virginia Food Bank.

 

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