“Admissions coordinator saves prospective student's life” |
| Admissions coordinator saves prospective student's life Posted: 28 Jan 2011 06:43 PM PST Karren Horan's job description includes helping college students plan their futures, not ensuring that they have one. But the National American University admissions coordinator became a lifeline Wednesday for one of the university's prospective students. On Wednesday morning, Horan called a prospective student but received only non-verbal sounds as a response. Horan hung up but was immediately called again by the student, a woman from Georgia. The muffled noise she heard made her think the student had pocket dialed her. So, she hung up again. Within seconds, her phone was ringing. This time Horan tried to find out more information. Although she could not understand the student, Horan assured the student she would call for help. "I knew the way she was acting wasn't normal for her," Horan said. From her desk in Rapid City, Horan tracked down the emergency dispatch center near the student's home in a suburb of Atlanta and requested a welfare check. Horan's co-worker stayed on the phone with the student as Horan described the situation to the Georgia dispatcher. Emergency personnel were sent to the woman's home. Later in the day, Horan's phone rang again, but this time the student answered with a strong "Hi" and explained what happened. Born with underdeveloped lungs, the woman uses a machine to help her breathe. It somehow powered off, leaving her gasping for breath. The emergency responders Horan called saved the woman from passing out or worse. Horan does not feel like she saved a life. In fact, she feels a little uncomfortable from all the attention she's receiving. "It makes me feel kind of embarrassed," said Horan, who said it was a matter of timing and chance that she decided to make the woman her first call of the day. Admissions coordinators help about 10 to 20 prospective students a semester through the process of applying for college, signing up for classes and figuring out financial aid. Horan's supervisor, Darlene Poste, director of admission for NAU, said the actions her employee took on Wednesday epitomized how she approaches her job every day. "Ever since Karren's been here, she's been very passionate about helping students and caring about their needs," Poste said. "This is a perfect example of how she goes above and beyond to help students." Contact Holly Meyer at 394-8421 or holly.meyer@rapidcityjournal.com. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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