In critical moments, where seconds are precious, paramedics and EMTs can make a difference for a patient before they get to the hospital. Their resilience and skills are what motivated Jillian Conlogue, a Fairfield mother of two, to become an EMT. Conlogue previously worked at a desk job for 16 years before her son became critically ill. "It started when he was a week old, and he had difficulty breathing. They ended up doing an endoscopy on him and checking for cystic fibrosis. Everything came out negative, but he was intubated for a short time while his lungs advanced and matured," Conlogue said. His battle in the ICU was a struggle for Conlogue, but it revealed something else: how important first responders are. It was also her inspiration to give back to her community, just like the first responders who saved her son. However, there was a problem. Conlogue didn't have the time or money to go back to school. So, she waited until the time was right. This was in 2014. Years later, in 2021, American Medical Response (AMR) launched its first Earn While You Learn (EWYL) program in Connecticut. EWYL is a paid pathway into EMS that hires students full-time while completing their EMT certification and offers them a promotion and full-time position upon completion of the course. "This was my opportunity. They were going to pay me to go to school and get my education, so I was like, absolutely, I'll try it. I applied and got in," Conlogue said. And her journey didn't stop there. After completing the program to become an EMT for AMR in Fairfield County, Conlogue returned to the classroom two years later when the healthcare company offered an EWYL paramedic program. "It was important to be able to train people the way we wanted them to be trained. So, they're true AMR employees from the cradle until the end of their careers, hopefully, to serve cities and towns that they're part of. It makes a big difference, especially for a guy like me who grew up here to work in the city that I enjoy being in, that my family lives in," said Dominick Mauro, clinical education supervisor at AMR Bridgeport. Conlogue graduated as one of the program's first EMT and paramedic and officially began treating and transporting patients in November 2025, proving it's never too late to answer a new calling. "Once you find what you love to do, it makes it all worth it," she says. For more information on the EWYL program at AMR, click here.