Ariel Brant looks like a natural when conducting her firefighting exercises.
But not that long ago, Brant was homeless while she was a student at Bartow High. That, however, did not stop her from pursuing her dream.
Now a student in the firefighting program at Polk State College, Brant overcame tough times that included a stint living in a car with her mother and brother.
Brant, 18, said her first order of business was completing high school.
"So I had to find somebody willing to drop me off (at school)," Brant said. "Which meant coming to school at seven in the morning and leaving at nine at night."
Her efforts caught the attention of the right people in the Polk County School District, which nominated her and another student for a scholarship from the Lakeland Fire Department.
Brant's scholarship is part of a program to help homeless high school students in Polk County. Brant, along with student Owen Forbes, are the first two recipients of Lakeland Fire Department's Fire-service Opportunity and Career for Underprivileged Students (FOCUS) scholarship program.
"And that just struck me as completely amazing," said Lakeland Assistant Fire Chief Rick Hartzog of Brant's efforts. "I don't know how somebody could accomplish all of that, who is...in my opinion a child."
The Lakeland Fire Department is not guaranteeing Brant a job once she completes training but both sides seem to agree that a future LFD job offer is only a matter of time.
"I was so excited I didn't know what to do or say," said Brant, who still has months of training ahead. "I just started making phone calls letting everyone know when I received the confirmation on the scholarship."
"It is extremely exciting," Hartzog said of the scholarship program. "It makes you very very proud that you that you are giving somebody an opportunity that just want's an opportunity."