By Communications and Marketing Intern, Angel Emodi
Spending six hours for a CPR Training course might sound exhausting, but the skills you learn last for a lifetime. The Red Cross offers CPR Training courses with digital certificates that last for two years! The course teaches the fundamentals of performing CPR and the skills learned can be used to save loved ones, and possibly strangers, too! 
I believe the importance of CPR Training is not emphasized enough. Being CPR Certified is a very essential skill to obtain. Many people with CPR Certificates have encountered situations where CPR was needed. Even without encountering such situations, knowing you have the power to save a life is empowering.
Recently, a CPR Training course was held at the Red Cross Los Angeles Region Headquarters, and I took a few minutes to speak with the course instructor, Karla Staples, who has been teaching CPR Training with the Red Cross for three years.
LA Talks: Why is teaching CPR Training courses important to you?
Karla Staples: I enjoy giving helpful and useful information to the community. This class is not overwhelming, and you learn skills that could save lives! I teach my students as if I am the person down who needs help. This way, I can ensure I’m giving them the most appropriate information to be successful.
LA Talks: Have you ever been in a situation where you had to perform CPR?
Karla Staples: I work in the ER, as a Respiratory Therapist, so I use my CPR Training skills often. Outside of work, I have performed CPR on one of my students. She began choking on a granola bar, and I performed CPR to remove the piece of food to open her airways. It was a crazy day, but I am so thankful for being educated on CPR!
LA Talks: Is there anything you want to say to those who are thinking about taking the CPR Training course?
Karla Staples: Take the class! It might be six hours long, but it is fun and you learn useful information that you can use in real life — with friends, family, or strangers. Becoming more knowledgeable can never be a terrible thing.
LA Talks: Thank you, Karla, for educating local residents and making a difference in the community.
Karla Staples: I love doing what I do! Thank you to the American Red Cross for giving me this opportunity. I encourage everyone to take the CPR Training class, if possible.
To learn more about CPR Training courses, please visit http://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/cpr.
Angel Emodi will be in 11th grade at Hawthorne Math and Science Academy. She enjoys playing volleyball and her professional goals include attending Medical School to become a Pediatrician. This is Angel’s first year interning with the American Red Cross.
