Kimo Thompson
City of Fort Lauderdale Fire Department
Fort Lauderdale, FL USA
"People will forget what you’ve done for them but they won’t forget how you treated them."
Career Roadmap
Kimo's work combines: Medicine, Government, and Helping People
See more careers and stories that connect to your interests.
Take Roadmap Quiz
Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Biology, General
Walden University
Bachelor's Degree
Nursing
Florida Memorial University
Certification
Paramedicine
Miami Dade College
Certification
Firefighter 1 and 2
Miami Dade College
Graduate Degree
Nursing
Nova Southeastern University
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
I came to the U.S. from the Bahamas on a basketball scholarship and started college in Tampa before transferring to Florida Memorial University.
2.
After tearing my ACL playing internationally, I pivoted from sports to education and began teaching middle school science in Miami.
3.
A colleague introduced me to EMT work and her encouragement led me to pursue paramedicine and later enroll in the fire academy.
4.
With strong mentorship and persistence, I graduated from the fire academy and landed my first job right out of school.
5.
Curious to do more, I returned to Miami Dade College and became a registered nurse while working full-time as a firefighter.
6.
I earned my master’s in nursing, specializing in adult gerontology and acute care, to deepen my ability to care for patients.
7.
Motivated by personal loss and a passion for prevention, I co-founded Gaia Health to make holistic, regenerative care more accessible.
Defining Moments
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I tore my ACL playing basketball internationally, which ended my career as a professional athlete. Fortunately, my parents had encouraged me to have a plan B.
My mother died of cancer when I was 12 years old. Our healthcare in the Bahamas wasn't the greatest. I believe more education about risk factors could've helped. That loss was part of my motivation to make holistic, regenerative care more accessible.