Charleston Icon
AROUND THE CISTERN

Five Questions for Diane Alvarez

Director of Diversity Education and Training
Diane Alvarez holding a bouquet of butterflies and smiling
| photo by Catie Cleveland |

Tell us about your work in K-9 search and rescue. What was your favorite part of that work?
As a member of Florida Task Force IV, my favorite aspects of work were the 1) friendships I had with other K-9 handlers, 2) traveling nationally to training sites and climbing collapsed structures, 3) working toward a moment in time in which lives needed to be saved, and, of course, 4) the love of a Labrador: their sense of humor, intelligence and the ability to shake off things that didn’t always go as planned but still forge onward.

You also had a career in paramedicine. Tell us about that. What kinds of skills did you take away from that?
I was a 911 paramedic in Orlando with Orange County Fire and Rescue Department from 2011 to 2014. I can honestly say that my compassion and empathy for others grew over the years, as well as my admiration for those who trusted a higher power would work through me. Aside from medical skills, I also learned how to be an active listener; the importance of empathy; how to protect others who are vulnerable; to acknowledge the bravery of those asking for help; and understanding the fragility of life. I hope these skills never leave me.

What kind of person/personality do you need to be in this kind of crisis-centric position?
Well, you cannot be a sympathetic vomiter, suffer from motion sickness, have a vasovagal syncope trigger or freak out while conducting a trauma assessment and you find brain matter on your hands. Paramedics must be problem solvers, able to thrive in organized chaos and bring calmness to any situation. Moreover, it requires emotional and cultural intelligence – the ethics of caring even if the patient is the shooter or has a huge swastika tattoo on their chest and hates every aspect of who I am, aside from my skills to save their life.

What are you most excited about in your new position at the College?
I look forward to overseeing the design, development and implementation of campuswide education and training initiatives across a broad range of diversity, equity and inclusion topics to support a compassionate college community.

What is one thing that we could all do to make the world a better place?
The field of diversity encourages us to critically examine our society; reflect; and reimagine how we can show respect, compassion, and understanding of others and their experiences. Such practices help us to become positive change agents in a global world. – Alicia Lutz ’98