Teenager wants to be an LAFD firefighter and she’s well on her way

As a pre-teen in Encino, Grace Boaziz found a mentor who acted as her big sister and unofficial career counselor and became her source of inspiration.

Now 18, Boaziz is a graduate of Lake Balboa College Preparatory Magnet K-12 in Van Nuys who participates in the Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters of Los Angeles mentorship program and is a cadet in the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) — a key step in her dream to become a firefighter for LAFD.

As an LAFD cadet, Boaziz has been encouraged to choose the path that is best for her. She decided on the nursing program at Los Angeles Valley College with hopes of landing an emergency technician (EMT) slot with LAFD and eventually becoming an LAFD paramedic/firefighter.

“My main goal is to be a firefighter … I (also) want to have a degree to my name,” Boaziz said recently.   “I want to be able to provide care to anybody.”

Boaziz wants to help people. She doesn’t want the glamorous roles often seen in movies, but instead the firefighter on the 11 p.m. news who rescues a person from a fire, saves cats stranded in trees, and responds to calls for medical attention.

“And there’s the emotional side” of the job, she said. “You have suicidal calls. You are there emotionally for the patient and your community.”

Several pathways lead to the city’s cadet program, including Camp SPARK, a girl’s two-day empowerment camp; a firefighter/EMS magnet program offered at four high schools; and Youth FIRE Academy, which offers eight Saturdays three times a year in Panorama City, San Pedro and the Frank Hotchkin Memorial Training Center near Dodger Stadium where cadets are trained to accompany firefighters and paramedics on emergencies.

A lot went into Boaziz’s decision to become a firefighter, with the help and guidance of Lorit Queller, a graphic designer from Marina del Rey who she met through the Jewish Big Brother Big Sister Los Angeles mentorship program when Boaziz was 13.

Boaziz’s parents were very much in the loop as Boaziz joined the firefighter program and fell in love with it, and Queller was there to support her “little sister,” ask hard questions, and steer her toward her goal.

“Every time we hang out it’s enjoyable,” Queller said. “We have gone ice skating together, did a pottery class, shared meals and board games. It’s a fun experience but also amazing to watch Grace grow over the past five years.”

Queller went through a vetting process with the Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters of Los Angeles mentoring program and found that she and Boaziz shared open minds, a desire to try new things and Israeli parents.

“Between the two of us we have always had this drive to experience something new,” Queller said in a recent  interview. “If we don’t like it we can … leave (and) never have to do it again. … We have fun together,” Queller said.

Queller says her “little sister” is focused on her goals and is achieving them.

“I think the great thing about our relationship, and the trust we built, is that she knows she can come to me with anything and I will give her an opinion and listen to her,” Queller said. “But I will never tell her what to do or tell her not to do something. I will support her decisions.”

Firefighter candidates must go through rigorous training and testing to reach the highest level — becoming a firefighter. Of 140 cadets in the current cadet program, about two dozen are women, Youth Programs Director Patrica Arias explained in a recent email.

“There are many reasons females are becoming more interested in our cadet program,” Capt. Adam VanGerpen, a paramedic and department spokesperson. wrote in a recent email.

“We have an outstanding recruitment unit. Many females have never thought about a career in the fire service until our recruitment unit made contact with them and explained to them how important it is to the fire service to have qualified females in the fire service.” Military bases are also an outstanding source of qualified females, according to VanGerpen.

Today, Boaziz hopes for a career that impacts the lives of others in their time of need with the Los Angeles Fire Department.