Meet the CNM Fire Academy's Top Cadet

Some kids just dream about becoming a firefighter. Mia Langler made it a reality.  

“Some of my earliest and happiest memories are of walking to the fire station for a field trip in preschool,” Mia says. “Since then, I’ve dedicated my academic career to preparing to be a firefighter, and my dream is coming true more quickly than I ever could have imagined.” 

Mia applied for CNM’s Fast Track Fire Academy during her senior year of high school and is one of the first self-sponsored learners to join the program. Typically, Fire Academy attendees already hold a full-time position with a fire department and are sponsored by their employer.  

In the intensive 18-week program, Mia and her fellow cadets learned entry-level firefighting and EMT skills. By the end of Academy, cadets are prepared to take their International Fire Services Accreditation Congress, National Wildfire Coordinating Group, and EMT national certification exams. Plus, all program graduates have half of the required credit hours needed to earn a Fire Science associate degree.  

Mia particularly enjoyed the hands-on experience. 

“My favorite part of the Fire Academy was the live burn exercise we completed in Socorro,” she says. “During that exercise we were able to see just how hot it is to be in a fire, practice with weighted training manikins, and put all our training and skills into practice. It was really hard but also really exhilarating.” 

At her graduation ceremony in December, Mia was named the top cadet of her cohort. This award is presented to one member of each Fire Academy  who showed exceptional dedication, resilience, and skill over the course of the 18 weeks.  

“I’m extremely honored to have received this award because this program was certainly intense and harder than I ever could have imagined,” she says. “But I also know that I still have a lot of work to do to land a job as a firefighter, and I need to carry that same persistence and grit into all of my future endeavors.” 

Since graduating Mia has hit the ground running. She is actively working toward joining Albuquerque Fire Rescue (AFR) and is preparing for her Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT). Once she passes this test, she will be eligible to apply to AFR where she will complete another round of written and oral exams before officially being hired.  If there’s one piece of advice Mia has for anyone joining the CNM Fire Academy, it’s to come in ready to work hard. 

“I’ll be the first to tell you it will probably be the toughest 18 weeks of your life. But it is all worth it in the end,” she says. “If you can keep a positive attitude and push yourself alongside your cohort, you will get so much out the experience.”