By Gene Helfman

Special to the Weekly

Patience Taylor, No. 11, drives to the basket against Grace Academy on Dec. 9, 2011.

Taylor was a Volunteer Fire Fighter in high school, an activity that clearly set her on a career path. She went on to earn an associates degree in paramedicine from the National Center for Technical Instruction in Milwaukie, Oregon, in 2018. She currently works for East Pierce Fire and Rescue as a firefighter/paramedic and is a member of the East Pierce Hazardous Materials team while training to be a HazMat technician.

Taylor lives in Tacoma, Washington, and stays in shape during the pandemic doing cross-fit and indoor rock climbing.