Joshua Chavarria is one of Northwest College’s newest faculty members after following a path stretching from Florida, through Argentina, California, Idaho, and Oklahoma. More commonly known as Chavy, he began his time at NWC as an adjunct in 2020 before moving into a full-time role in the fall of 2022 as instructor of emergency medical services in Cody.

Chavy grew up in Fort Myers on Florida’s Gulf coast where he was an avid paintball player (an activity he still enjoys) before heading to Argentina for a Mormon mission from 2004-06. Meanwhile, his parents had moved to California, and it was there that Chavy met his wife who was born and raised in Wyoming. The couple eventually moved to her hometown of Riverton where he began taking classes at Central Wyoming College.

Drawn to the medical field, Chavy originally wanted to be a doctor but realized he was more of a hands-on technician who was better suited for another area of medicine, that of a first responder. So, after completing his prerequisites at Central Wyoming, Chavy earned his B.S. in Paramedicine from BYU-Idaho in 2015. It fulfilled not only his goal of becoming a paramedic but also that of becoming the first member of his family with a bachelor's degree.

Fortunately for Josh, even though he thoroughly enjoys teaching, he didn’t have to completely give up serving as a paramedic. He still works as needed, and as time permits, with Powell Valley Healthcare and Frontier Ambulance in Fremont County. But his primary responsibility is now training others, and for Chavy, the most rewarding aspect is seeing his students start to understand everything that’s happening, and it all clicks into place.

EMS professionals in the Bighorn Basin face some unique challenges, and the program at Northwest College pays special attention to training students for situations they won’t see in urban areas such as Oklahoma City where Chavy interned. That makes having a faculty member with Chavy’s first-hand experience even more beneficial.

“I really like being out in the field, love being a paramedic, and love EMS,” Chavy said. “But now I’m hoping to make even more of a difference as a college instructor and bring that passion to others.”