FDNY Firefighter Regina Wilson is well-known for being an inspirational and ambitious woman in our society, especially to future FDNY female firefighters. Regina, who was born and raised in Brooklyn, wasn’t always on the path to becoming a firefighter. In her late twenties, Regina had a corporate. Unsatisfied with her life, Regina chose to make a major career change. She attended a job fair hosted at the Jacob K. Jurvits Convention Center called the New York Black Expo. There she met FDNY recruiters who persuaded her to join the FDNY. What really attracted her was the lack of women and racial diversity in the FDNY. Early women in the FDNY dealt with a large amount of discrimination and sexual harassment from their co-workers which would encourage the few women in the department to retire. Regina herself was the only woman within her graduating class of about 300 peers. Because of this, she was often singled out by her instructors. Despite this, Regina continued to work hard. In 1999, Regina became the 12th African American woman to join the FDNY. In 2001, when there were about 25 women in the FDNY overall, Regina had to face one of the biggest emergencies in her career as a firefighter. Regina was one of the first responders to the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. Like other 9/11 responders, Regina worked diligently for the search, rescue, and recovery efforts at the site of World Trade Center. The horrors of that tragic day emphasized the value of life to Regina while giving her a sense of pride for her job. In 2015, Regina Wilson became the first African American woman to hold the position of president in the Vulcan Society, which is an organization of African American firefighters. Regina works towards opening up the FDNY to young women and minorities and works towards getting rid of the stereotypes the public holds. As president, Regina wants to change society’s perception of firefighters. She wants to make sure that it is known that white males aren’t the only ones who can become firefighters. Regina also wants to highlight the importance of women in the FDNY, mostly about how they’re just as important as the men, and wants to normalize the recruitment of women to the FDNY.