Since he was a young boy, Drew Smith has known what he wanted to do when he got older.
He was about 10 years old when he was in a car accident. Smith said when the fire department arrived on the scene, he felt much better.
And growing up, he attended pancake breakfasts at the Redmond Fire Department (RFD) headquarters and would often visit the fire station during Redmond Derby Days and other community events the department has held.
All of these moments throughout his life had the Redmond High School (RHS) senior feeling the call to become a paramedic.
"It's all just a fun experience," Smith said.
And a few years ago, his mother took a fall off of their deck and hurt herself.
"Her ankle was sideways," he said.
When that happened, Smith said he wasn't too "freaked out." So he knew he could handle the job.
The calling has not gone away and in a little more than a month, he will be attending the Congress of Future Medical Leaders as a delegate for Washington. The conference will be from June 25-27 in Lowell, Mass.
"I was really excited," Smith said with a smile about his response when he learned about the program. "Future Medical Leaders, that sounds awesome!"
One of Smith's teachers at RHS nominated him for the program, including an essay he wrote for a scholarship application. He had written the essay in November 2015 and learned about the Congress nomination sometime in December 2015 or January.
Smith will be one of a handful of students from Washington and the only one from RHS.