“NWTC provided the best environment for me to thrive in,” said Yavtushenko. “They provided a foundation for me as a person, as a student, as a professional. They set me up for success, in my career as a first responder, and they set me up for success academically for my university currently. And I got to make some lifelong friendships along the way.”
Q & A with Eli Yavtushenko
What inspired Yavtushenko, a Ukraine native, to pursue an emergency medicine career? What has been his most influential class? How has mental health been a factor in his higher ed journey?
Learn more in this Q & A.
Why did you choose to go into lab science technology, EMT/AEMT, and human biology?
I chose LST because I needed the prerequisites for a premed program at a university in Chicago, and when I called the NWTC Admissions Office, LST was immediately recommended to me. I did not end up in Chicago, but I have absolutely zero regrets because this opportunity introduced me to NWTC.
My plan is to graduate from UWGB with a Bachelor’s in Human Biology and go to medical school to become an emergency room physician.
I chose emergency medicine because I am fascinated by first responders. Since I was about four years old, I wanted to be a firefighter. Unfortunately, when I was sixteen, I was diagnosed with a medical condition that put an end to that dream. I will never be a firefighter.
That dream had kept me going in the darkest of times, when my entire life was falling apart around me, and I felt like there was no purpose in any of it. With the diagnosis, the dream became unreachable. So, I was depressed for a while. Then, in my senior year of high school, I got a chance to take an entire semester of just healthcare related courses and I fell madly in love with it. Immediately after graduating high school, I applied to NWTC and never looked back.
While getting my EMT-Basic license, I started talking to a combat medic back home in Ukraine, and she was a huge inspiration for me. Unfortunately, she was killed in combat last year, but her legacy will forever stay with me. She was the coolest person I have ever met, and her compassion made me love life just a little bit more. I got an Advanced EMT license last semester in her honor. I hope to one day become at least one tenth as cool as she was.
What did you love most about NWTC during your time here?
The thing I love most about NWTC is its people. They see us individually. They see our goals. They see our passions. They want to see us succeed. I got to work with some absolutely incredible professionals in their fields. I got to work with instructors and scientists and EMS providers. We got to do research projects in a technical college. It was absolutely mind blowing.
What was your most impactful class at NWTC?
Organic chemistry – it is my most favorite science class I ever took in my entire life. I did not realize how much I would love it until I took it. Also, I truly loved my capstone project where I got to spend the whole year designing and implementing a research project about blood. It was done under the mentorship of my cell biology instructor who is probably the most passionate person I've ever met my entire life. He's like one of those crazy scientists. It was so cool to see him in the lab – just see him glow with the research done around him. Technical colleges typically don't provide this kind of experience, so it was truly a one once in a lifetime kind of opportunity.
Eli presented his capstone research project, “Making Coagulation Measurement Simple,” during Laboratory Science Technology Spotlight Night in April 2024. Eli is pictured with Dr. Kristen Raney, NWTC president, during the special event.
Anything to add?
NWTC saved my life, in the most literal sense of the word. I was so deeply lost and depressed when I was in high school that I did not see a point in moving forward. I didn’t want to be around anymore. But I gave NWTC a chance, and from day one it kept me going. The friendships I made along the way will stay with me for the rest of my life. I became so much more confident and reassured in my identity, who I am, and what I can do.
Mental health is tough, and some days are still bad, but I know that I have people in my corner ready to support me at any time, and that completely changed my view of the world. I am forever grateful to NWTC.