Two Carroll County students are heading to the national stage after earning top honors in a statewide emergency medical competition.
Trista Christiansen and Christian Often, participants in the Emergency Services Training (E.S.T.) Program, won the Gold Medal in the Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) competition at the Maryland State SkillsUSA event held April 18, 2026, at the Carroll County Public Safety Training Center in Westminster.
The competition featured seven two-person teams from across Maryland, testing students’ real-world EMT knowledge and response skills. With their first-place finish, Christiansen and Often have secured a spot at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference, set to take place in Atlanta this June.
The E.S.T. Program, offered by the Carroll County Volunteer Emergency Services Association (CCVESA), provides high school juniors and seniors—as well as fire company volunteers—the opportunity to train in Emergency Medical Technician and Fire Fighter I certification programs while earning high school credit.
In 2025, CCVESA partnered with the Carroll County Career and Tech Center, allowing E.S.T. students to participate in SkillsUSA, a national organization that supports students preparing for careers in technical, skilled, and service-based professions.
CCVESA officials say they are proud of the students’ achievement and look forward to representing Carroll County on the national stage.
