After graduating high school in 2019, Redwood alumni Charlie Werner dropped out of film school at Montana State University to pursue his passion in the medical field. Werner was involved in Redwood TV, which led him to pursue film in college. However, after only 11 days of attending the university, he realized his passion was elsewhere.
Immediately, Werner started working towards getting his Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certification and paramedic license. Today, he works in numerous positions, spending most of his time as an EMT and Lead Field Training Officer. Over the summer, Werner is employed by Contra Costa County, responding to emergency calls. In addition, he works as a field manager, running medical tents at music events such as festivals and concerts. Werner has enjoyed his time working in the medical field and is glad he decided to follow this path.

“Doing the [EMT] work that I do now makes me so much more happy [than film school],” Werner said.
Ever since he was a Boy Scout, Werner had an interest in first aid and a strong commitment towards helping his community. Once he entered high school, he became friends with students involved in the Search and Rescue team. After learning more about the program, Werner grew interested in other programs surrounding the medical field. He began volunteering and doing ride-alongs with his local fire department.
In high school, Werner wasn’t the best student, finding it difficult to be successful in the classroom with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
“I wasn’t very studious or good at sitting down and learning in school,” Werner said.
Because of this, Werner had already considered not attending college as a senior but decided to give it a chance.
“When I got to college, I immediately knew it was the wrong decision,” Werner said.
Many of his friends warned him that he would regret not going to college and wouldn’t be successful without it. This could not be further from the truth; Werner knew he couldn’t sacrifice his happiness for a degree.
“Dropping out of college was the best decision I’ve made in my life,” Werner said.

Going to college is the norm for most students in Marin County and, especially at Redwood. In 2024, 92 percent of Redwood graduates enrolled in a four-year college. However, Werner believes it is important for students to know that there are many other options out there for those who don’t want to take the traditional college route.
“If you’re interested in something, get involved. I know it’s really hard to do something you don’t like,” Werner said.
Since Werner has chosen to follow his passion, he has fallen in love with the work he does, describing his job as “addicting”.
“I love what I do, and I feel very lucky. I’ve been doing this for years now and still love it. One of the major things that I love is giving back to the community [where] I grew up,” Werner said.

For those interested in the medical field, high school courses like Biomedicine, Physiology and Anatomy can be a way to explore those paths. Caitlin Tanaka is a Biomedicine teacher at Redwood, and like Werner, has a passion for the medical industry. Many of Tanaka’s Biomedicine students are interested in becoming nurses, doctors, surgeons or lab technicians. The class provides students with fundamental knowledge that can be helpful in their future.
“Biomedicine is bringing real-world aspects into the classroom so students that want to go into the medical field have more of the concepts under their belt,” Tanaka said.
Werner thinks there are a lot of students who feel the way he did and encourages them to do what they love because it’s worth it to take a risk.
“It’s okay not to go to college; you can still be successful,” Werner said.