ECC Stories 2025 - Cade Steichen: I am proud to have been part of this class

Cade Steichen graduated as Valedictorian of the Elgin Community College Fire Academy Class of 2024. Learn about his journey, which he was honored to share in a speech at the Fire Academy Recognition Ceremony in December 2024. Currently, Steichen is doing his on-the-job training portion of his apprenticeship with the East Dundee Fire Protection District.

My name is Cade Steichen, and I am speaking to you today as Valedictorian of the ECC Fire Academy Class of 2024. We are not just here to celebrate the completion of the program, but we are here to celebrate a new chapter in each of our lives.

I am honored to be in this position to speak to all of you tonight. I would like to thank my mom and dad for shaping me into who I am today and supporting me through countless hours of studying, as well as my aunt and uncle for guiding me toward this career and encouraging me on my way. I’d also like to thank my company, Company 1, for making every day one to remember. I would also like to express my gratitude on behalf of our entire class to all the instructors who dedicated countless hours to help us get to this point and to instill a sense of purpose in us to be better every day. Thank you to East Dundee Fire Protection District for sponsoring me through the academy and ECC’s apprenticeship program for the support.

While those in my class may call me a nerd, I am here speaking to you right now due to the expectations I place on myself every day. Over the last few months, I have filled four and a half 100-sheet notebooks with notes. While some may say that it is excessive, and I may have gone a bit overboard, I say that you can not over-prepare to protect those in your community or over-prepare for any other aspect of this line of work.

Winston Churchill once said, “To each, there comes in their lifetime a special moment when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a very special thing, unique to them and fitted to their talents. What a tragedy if that moment finds them unprepared or unqualified for that which could have been their finest hour.”

I believe in this unique career, each one of us will have a moment or a few moments such as this, and it is up to us to place ourselves in a position to be as prepared as possible and to have a relentless approach to never stop learning, training and pushing yourself to be better so when the time comes to use what you have learned, you do not fall short.

While I don't know that we will miss the hot and humid grueling days spent doing endless pushups, situps, tower climbs, runs, throwing ladders, dragging the hose through the Burntower, the time spent studying for tests, or forcing doors, I do know that we will miss the sound of Ethan yelling “DRIVE!” while forcing those doors, or Trent betting against an instructor on which type of coupling was on that hose, or having Aaron Hernandez yelling gibberish 75 feet up on an aerial ladder while holding on for dear life.

I am proud to have been part of this class, and I don't think I could have asked for a better group of people to spend the last few months with. When we began, we barely knew each other, and we did not fully understand what our time here would lead to, but as time went on, we grew closer and pushed ourselves beyond our limits. We relied on each other to become better, and we worked through fears and shortcomings to get to where we are today. If there is one thing that has been reinforced throughout this academy, it is that you cannot just rely on yourself; you must also rely on those around you to make you better and to hold yourself accountable in regards to making them better, if or when that opportunity arises.

I would like to share a quote from Albert Einstein: “In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.” To me, this means that through long days and hard work, we have the ability to make more of ourselves in a way that also helps the world around us.

To my fellow classmates, I would like to congratulate all of you on accomplishing the difficult task of the fire academy and encourage you to embrace the opportunities that we have, or will have, now that we’ve reached the end of our journey together.

Farewell, and best of luck in all of your future endeavors.