Harold Chaves
Harold Chaves, originally from Downtown Manhattan, is an Emergency Management major who takes classes online from Portland, Oregon.
“I am a product of the New York City public school system,” he said. “I always enjoyed the outdoors and consistently left the city to go camping and snowboarding. I decided to leave New York for somewhere more conducive to those activities, so I moved to Portland in 2009.”
After spending nearly 20 years working in EMS, Harold decided to pursue a degree to deepen his knowledge and advance his career. His passion for emergency response grew through firsthand experiences, including responding to hurricanes in Florida and Georgia, as well as wildfires on the West Coast. He currently works as an Emergency Preparedness and Response Coordinator for a county Public Health department while balancing his studies and being a father of three.
Harold said he especially enjoys the Emergency Management courses and noted that the instructors have extensive experience in the field and provide excellent insight and resources. He said his favorite instructor, Jay Roorbach, Ph.D., has been an invaluable mentor throughout his academic journey.
While many couples attend SUNY Canton together, Harold shared a genuinely unique SUNY Canton story from an online student’s perspective.
“After I enrolled, my wife was inspired to return to school to pursue a business degree,” he said. “She researched and was thrilled when she found an affordable online program that matched her goals. To my surprise, she independently chose SUNY Canton, without knowing it was the same school I had selected.”
Harold plans to graduate in spring 2025 and aims to continue gaining experience, eventually applying to FEMA to assist in disaster response efforts. (Photo submitted by Harold Chaves)