Between attending classes and running a sorority, one LSU student spends her time saving lives.
Britney Tobar, a psychology and French senior, transferred to LSU in 2023. Since then, Tobar has been involved in not only campus life but in the Baton Rouge community as a whole.
Tobar has been working as an EMT for Acadian Ambulance Services since September of 2024.
One day, Tobar was sitting behind an ambulance at a red light that said ‘Become a medic’ on it.
“I was like, ‘You know what?’ I took a picture of it and I went home and Googled it.” Tobar said.
Then, she started taking classes. Tobar said she always knew she wanted to go to medical school and be involved in the medical field.
Tobar has not let her job or school work hold her back from becoming involved in campus life. She is a founding member of LSU’s Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc., where she serves as the vice president. She is also the president of LSU’s Latin American Student Organization.
Becoming an EMT has made Tobar more compassionate. She said this has helped her be a better leader for all student organizations she is involved with.
“It’s not necessarily about bossing people around or telling them what to do, but it’s leading with integrity, leading with compassion,” Tobar said.
Tobar started her education at West Texas A&M University. She said she decided to transfer to LSU after getting some encouragement from her mom.
“I think another part of it is because it was my brother’s dream school, but during that time my parents couldn’t afford to send him out here. So it was like well now we can do this for you, so let’s do it and fulfill his dream too,” Tobar said.
One thing that confused her when she moved is the lack of unity at LSU and the Baton Rouge community. Tobar said to this day she is still unsure why everything is separate.
“It just makes everything so much better to have everybody together. It makes projects go smoother and makes academics better,” Tobar said.
Tobar continues to encourage unity with her work in her sorority. Destiney Esquibel, a new LTA member, remembers one of her first interactions with Tobar and feeling inspired to join.
“We ended up talking for two hours and I just met her,” Esquibel said. “She was so welcoming and inspiring with her stories. She made me feel like we’ve been friends forever and is what truly brought me into joining LTA.”
Tobar plans to attend medical school after taking a gap year to continue working as an EMT. She said that being an EMT has influenced her work ethic and is why she continues to work so hard.
When things get tough, she said she keeps going because she owes it to her patients to become the best version of herself. She hopes to use her work experience to become a trauma physician.
Courtney Locco, Tobar’s supervisor at Acadian Ambulance, said that Tobar is a reliable worker who brings calmness and curiosity to the work environment.
“She’s incredibly quick to learn, asks thoughtful questions and communicates clearly, which is essential in EMS,” Locco said. “Her ability to speak Spanish has also been a tremendous asset when we care for patients who might otherwise struggle to communicate.”
Tobar’s time at LSU is slowly coming to an end and she wants students to know the importance of picking one’s own path. She said it can be easy to get caught up in what other are doing.
“If I really let it get to me, I would be struggling and trying to figure out how to get into medical school next year. That’s not what I wanted to do,” Tobar said. “I made my own story.”
