Brian helps in chaotic situations

Land, air, sea, desert, arctic: Brian Kretschmar wants to go and save all people

Meet Brian. He’s a triplet to twin sisters and is completing a Diploma of Outdoor Leadership and a Bachelor of Nursing at Avondale University. Yes, you read that right: outdoor recreation and nursing.

Brian’s on a journey to become a rescue paramedic. He attended a high school that did a rescue and response for a small community. “It’s called CERT [Community Emergency Response Team]. I got to participate a few times and it lit a spark. I love helping people in chaotic, emerging situations.”

The help is not just physical. Brian wants to bring emotional support—peace and calmness—and, if the opportunity arises, spiritual support, too.

Avondale’s small class sizes have helped Brian. “You’re not a number on a page. You’re a person. As soon as I walked into my classroom, I felt welcomed.” He appreciated the extra attention from lecturers, who, despite doing their own study and balancing work and home life, invest personally in students. Brian mentions extra study periods, as an example.

Coming from Tennessee in the USA, Brian says, “I never would’ve dreamed I’d come to Australia. I thought I’d be in medicine and computer science working in robotics. But now I’m pursuing rescue, in nursing, in a foreign country. God takes you to places, and you continue to just have to follow those leadings prayerfully.”