From First-Gen Student to First-Gen Firefighter: Meet Dulce Lopez-Jaimes

Growing up in Pender County, North Carolina, Dulce Lopez-Jaimes was raised in a family of Mexican immigrants who chose the area to call their home and bring up their children.

Dulce is not the firstborn child in her family, but she is a first-generation high school graduate, a first-generation college graduate, and a first-generation firefighter.

Dulce earned two of those firsts simultaneously. She graduated from Pender Early College High School (PECHS) in 2021 with her high school diploma and her associate degree from Cape Fear Community College.

“PECHS and CFCC are a fabulous combination,” shared Dulce. “The faculty is supportive and inspirational. CFCC does an amazing job of preparing students to get where they want to be.”

Exploring Interests

After graduation, Dulce decided to take a gap year to explore other interests. Scrolling through her hometown’s Facebook page, she saw an ad calling for volunteers with the local fire department. Without hesitation, Dulce signed up, and at the young age of 18, she returned to CFCC to begin firefighter training.

CFCC Firefighter Academy is a comprehensive training program that includes certification classes in firefighter, hazardous materials, traffic incident management, and emergency medical technician. In addition, CFCC offers non-certification training to prepare firefighters for a career in public safety. Most courses are 60 hours or less.

“I have already earned over nine certifications,” Dulce commented. “I most recently completed the fire control course. That course really challenged me, but I loved every moment of it.”

She is astounded by how much firefighters do. In addition to putting out fires, fire departments are also often the first to arrive at the scene of an accident, provide medical assistance, or remove road debris. However, she learned that firefighters no longer respond to cats stuck in a tree.

As much as she loves working at the fire department, she didn’t lose sight of her primary career goal. In 2022, Dulce transferred her associate degree to Fayetteville State University to pursue her bachelor’s degree in sociology.

Exploring Career Options

While enrolled at PECHS, Dulce was very active in a variety of clubs, student government, and teen court. The teen court was particularly impactful on Dulce.

Acting as the defense attorney for teen defendants, Dulce felt the pull to consider social work as a career choice. She wanted to help those who were struggling, neglected, or felt lost.

“These are real students who have real issues,” Dulce explained. “I realized through my experience in teen court, I could become a social worker. I can help kids early on, guide them, and help them make better decisions before the law gets involved.”

Blending Careers

Dulce would also like to apply her social work skills at the fire department. She envisions herself offering crisis assistance to those who lost their home to a fire.

As an online student at Fayetteville State University, Dulce can continue to work for the local fire department and earn more fire certifications. She is particularly looking forward to turning 21 when she will be eligible to drive a firetruck.

Regardless of which career Dulce focuses on, she credits CFCC with putting her on the right path.

“Attending CFCC is more than just two years of college,” Dulce said. “It’s also the experience and the preparedness that you get. It’s a smaller environment so you get more personal attention. CFCC does a great job at providing resources to help you achieve.”

If you would like to learn more about CFCC’s Firefighter Academy, EMS, or Law Enforcement Training, visit CFCC Public Safety.