Story by Rebecca Spezzano

Rhiannon Sicht, a senior at the University of Missouri, spent much of her free time in middle and high school competing in sports like soccer and cheerleading.

Unfortunately, Sicht was also accident-prone. After sustaining multiple concussions and frequently visiting the athletic trainer, she developed an interest in health care.

“Being able to help people in their time of need, it’s very fulfilling for me,” she said.

Sicht is now majoring in Health Science with an emphasis in leadership and policy in addition to a certificate in Public Health. She was born and raised in Columbia, Missouri, so Mizzou was the perfect place to pursue her passion.

Sicht felt a calling to take care of others, and working directly with patients offers her a way to achieve that dream.

“At this point in my life, I enjoy hands-on patient care,” she said. “That’s how I want to help people right now.”

In addition to her academic studies, Sicht finds other ways to help in the local community. She has volunteered as a firefighter and emergency medical technician (EMT) with the Boone County Fire Protection District since January 2023, and she recently joined MU Health Care’s Emergency Medical Services team. She says these experiences have helped her “become the person that I want to be.”

This past summer, Sicht was selected from a national applicant pool to work as a nurse assistant in the health center at Camp Laurel in Maine. This seven-week camp for children ages 7-16 was her first time living anywhere other than Missouri, and it gave her some fantastic real-world experiences.

Sicht put her EMT license to use, helping campers and staff members with any medical assistance they needed.

After she graduates from Mizzou, Sicht has tentative plans to go into an accelerated nursing program. She intends to become a travel nurse before potentially seeking an administrative role in health care.

Regardless of the path she takes, Sicht is focused on improving the lives of others.

“I just want people to be taken care of,” she said. “I care. I have a big heart, and I love a lot.”