Crafton Celebrates 54 EMT Summer Cohort Graduates

Publish Date: Sept. 22, 2026

Crafton Hills College celebrated 54 Emergency Medical Technician graduates from three summer cohorts during a ceremony on September 11 in the Finkelstein Performing Arts Center.

The graduates completed an intensive program, that condensed the college’s traditional 16-week, 11-unit EMT session to just 12 weeks, requiring hundreds of hours of study and preparation in this shortened calendar.

The three cohorts were taught by EMS professors John Grounds and Skylar Antoncew-Garcia and instructor Henry Vasquez.

Associate Dean of Public Safety and EMT Program Director Amanda Ward praised the graduates for completing the demanding program while balancing work, family and other responsibilities.

“This isn’t goodbye,” Ward told the graduates, noting that many plan to continue their education in Crafton’s Fire Academy or Paramedic program. She encouraged them to care for themselves as they enter a challenging profession and reminded them that Crafton will continue to support them.

Antoncew-Garcia described her cohort with one word: dedication. Thirty-five students completed her accelerated class, the largest group she has led through the program. Many had already passed the National Registry exam on their first attempt, and some received job offers within weeks of completing the program.

“Medicine is built on science, but caring for people will always require humanity,” she told the graduates, encouraging them to approach patients with compassion, humility and respect.

Vasquez celebrated 13 graduates from his “small and mighty” cohort, which included students participating in American Medical Response’s Earn While You Learn program.

Grounds reflected on the bonds formed during EMT training, describing the program as more than a typical college course. “Students may begin as classmates,” he said, “but often leave with lifelong friendships forged through learning, practicing and overcoming challenges together.”

For the 54 graduates, the ceremony marked both an accomplishment and a beginning as they move into emergency medical services or continue their education in fire service, paramedicine, nursing or other healthcare fields.