Shelly Larsen March 23rd 2019

What do you do?

Well the conventional answer to that question I guess is my profession, which is a Firefighter EMT with the City of Lynden. It certainly doesn't totally define me however it is one of the accomplishments of which I am the most proud. I love how every day when I show up to work I know it will be different, and that I will be helping the citizens that rely on timely, professional, and skilled help showing up fast when they call 911. I love the physical challenge of the job, as well as the close working relationship I build with my co workers. It is inspiring to see the passion and professionalism they bring to the job, and I am lucky to work with such caring and talented people.

Additionally, another one of my closely held identities is that I am a commercial fisherman and have been for most of my life. My family are commercial fishermen on Kodiak Island, where I grew up set net fishing for salmon. I now work in Bristol Bay Alaska, on a drift gill net boat. I love the fast paced competitive nature of the job, and the challenging and exciting working conditions. I also love my coworkers, and the close bond you form from going through hard and stressful seasons together.

Advice/words of wisdom that affected your life you’d like to pass on?

My mom always liked to repeat a quote from Janice Joplin, that goes, "don't compromise yourself, you're all you've got!". I like to remember that one when I come up against a person or situation that I feel is trying to undercut my progress or worth. Other than that, my favorite piece of life advise came from my cross country running coach, who taught us, "take care of the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves". I like to remember that advise when I'm faced with an overwhelming goal or task. It gives me motivation to tackle things one little thing at a time, without getting too distracted by the size of the end result.