By: Courtney Holmes

Mariah was drawn to the idea of deployment when she heard about Krucial through her Certified Nursing Assistant program at the start of the pandemic. After gaining the necessary experience, she deployed with Krucial as a CNA for a total of seven deployments. During her time as a medical professional with Krucial, Mariah started to gain an appreciation for her Krucial Onsite Representatives (KOR). She soon noticed their roles and responsibilities, quickly gaining interest in learning more about becoming a KOR for her next deployment.

One of the people that inspired Mariah was one of her KORs, Renee. Renee was Mariah’s support system and mentor. Mariah noticed how big of an impact the KORs truly have on our Krew because of Renee’s servitude, giving her the courage to apply for open KOR positions. 

Stepping out of her comfort zone, Mariah was accepted into Krucial’s KOR Academy to train and began her first assignment as a KOR in August 2021. 

“My experience as a KOR has been amazing. Not what I expected at all. Being on the other side of the operation has made me appreciate my fellow KORs even more. I love being here to support our clinical staff,” said Mariah. 

Her attention to detail, kindness, and commitment to the staff is unparalleled. It has been noticed by many of our Krew members how Mariah was able to create a home away from home for them, constantly reminding them how they are so much more than just clinical staff. She made it her goal to make sure our Krew felt loved and important while serving others during their greatest time of need. 

While she is thankful for her role, deployment comes with working long hours and time away from her family, requiring enormous amounts of empathy as she is the support person for dozens of medical personnel. In many ways, Mariah acts as their guide on deployment, helping staff navigate hospital schedules, personal situations, and feelings from what our Krew was facing and seeing daily.

Mariah admits feeling lonely and homesick while on deployment due to the amount of mental and physical energy that is required for this position. To help combat these emotions, she phoned her loved ones as frequently as possible. From her time with Krucial, Mariah has learned that even on bad days the work she is performing makes it all worth it because of the people she is serving. 

Mariah affectionately refers to the connections she made on deployment as her “forever friends,” stating, “My favorite part of deployment so far is meeting all these wonderful people, some, I now consider family.”

From the clinical to the operational sides of deployment, Mariah has experienced the duties, trials, and tribulations from both viewpoints of emergency deployments allowing her to experience more empathy for people.

“Every success and downfall that I have faced has molded me into who I am today. My greatest strength is my determination to better myself and help others to do the same,” said Mariah

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