Thanks to student persistence and support from key partners, Marquette has the first student-run EMS unit in Wisconsin.
By Elena Metinidis | Marquette Communication student
2 min. read
Avary Benavides Shefland was a Marquette junior when she started dreaming of forming a student-run emergency medical services unit, never imagining the unit could debut before her graduation day arrived.
But that’s what happened in March when Marquette’s 20-student EMS crew hit the ground running. Serving alongside fellow students with Emergency Medical Technician certification, Benavides Shefland, Nurs ’26, was overcome with pride. “I can’t even describe the feeling of taking our first run,” says the May graduate, now a nurse at Milwaukee’s Froedtert Hospital. “I cried afterward because it was just that cool.”
Hard work and collaboration put the project on the fast track. Shortly after her friend shared the idea at a student government open forum, Benavides Shef-land found herself meeting with student government leaders and representatives of Marquette’s Medical Clinic and the Marquette University Police Department.
With support from these partners, she spent eight months developing the program while keeping up with her studies and working fulltime. In the early stages, Benavides Shefland drove across the country to visit EMS units at Villanova and Georgetown universities. After staying with student EMTs and shadowing them on calls, she realized, “This is what we could be — [students] running full-blown emergency services.”
“It’s a group of students who put forth a grassroots effort … to help the campus and community.”
Assistant Police Chief Jeff Kranz, Grad ’19
Marquette’s student-run EMS unit is the only one in Wisconsin. “It’s a group of students who put forth a grassroots effort … to help the campus and community,” Assistant Police Chief Jeff Kranz, Grad ’19, says. “When you bring that attitude to the table, you can’t help but succeed.” The unit responds to nearly all immediate medical needs in the MUPD patrol zone, providing services at the EMS level until paramedics arrive. The unit’s services are free to students and community members.
After transferring leadership to current students this summer, Benavides Shefland maintains high hopes for the unit: “It’s fair to say that, at some point, we’ll save some lives, which is a cool thing to imagine.”
From the fall 2026 issue of Marquette Magazine
This and other stories from the fall edition of Marquette Magazine are now available online. Print copies are available on campus at the Zilber Hall security desk, AMU Information Center and outside Zilber Hall 235.
