Behind a myriad of talents in quite dichotomous areas of interest lies one of the most positive, thoughtful, humble, and dedicated people you will ever meet. From the back of an ambulance, to her temple, to the auditorium stage, Zoe Goldstein’s passion for advocacy and helping others makes a monumental difference wherever she goes.

Sciences

For many high schoolers, the thought of leading medical work in the back of an ambulance at just 17 would be scary, daunting, or something out of their wildest imagination. But for Zoe, it’s a reality. Immediately intrigued by the Wake County EMS Cadet program after learning about it her freshman year, she has since found a strong passion for healthcare. Through the Cadet program, Zoe has been working 12-hour shifts with patients in ambulances since she was just 15, exemplifying not only her dedication, but her true passion for helping others. “I’ve just always been interested in it. I think something about the intensity of it, it’s such a human thing … I like intense things. I like being really engaged and focused,” Zoe says.

Now in the Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) program, Zoe is working towards getting her license. In the ambulance, Zoe works alongside two preceptors to give a patient everything they need until they arrive at the hospital. “I’ve been learning to lead assessments since I was 15,” Zoe says. “From the first point of patient contact, depending on the acuity, I’ll be the point person. From the time I step out of the ambulance, I’ve got the equipment that I’ve decided to bring in. I’m telling firefighters what I need their help with, I’m asking my preceptors if they agree with my courses of treatment and my interventions … there’s a shockingly large amount of things that I’m allowed to do, and it’s really cool.”

Zoe’s brother, Zac Goldstein, shares, “She saves lives, and she sees these things that most people couldn’t handle. She is just incredible at helping people and at understanding. The difference between her and other people I’ve seen doing that kind of stuff is that she is really personable, and she makes whoever she is helping feel really comfortable, and that’s something that I really admire about her.”

Temple Songleading

Zoe’s emphasis on leadership branches into many other areas of her life. In contrast to her many talents in STEM, Zoe is also a phenomenal musician, and she uses her unique skill set to flourish as songleading captain at her synagogue. Zoe describes songleading as “[a] branch of Jewish culture that’s a lot of fun. It’s a lot of acoustic, a lot of guitar, kind of folksy, a little bit.”

Zoe has been songleading since freshman year and has been team captain since she was a sophomore, helping her temple team grow to the 12 members it has now. Having taught herself guitar, and a number of other instruments, Zoe teaches music lessons at her synagogue on the weekend and works to educate younger kids about this aspect of Jewish culture. Her junior year, Zoe continued her educational impact, serving as Mid-Atlantic Religious Cultural Vice President for the National Federation of Temple Youth (NFTY).

Theatre

Zoe’s musical and artistic talents have also allowed her to thrive in the theatre environment. Zoe has been doing theatre since she was little, and is now a member of the Enloe Actor’s Ensemble. Throughout her time at Enloe, she was one of only 5 freshmen to make Pippin, she starred as Flounder in The Little Mermaid her sophomore year, and she was in Les Mis last year, having “the best time!”

Theatre has always been a creative outlet for Zoe, a space where she feels she can let loose. “It’s always been a community where I’ve felt very much like I can be myself. It’s so different from STEM, because in STEM, I feel like I always have to prove myself, and it’s so academic and it’s so cerebral, whereas theater is just super creative, and I can just be silly,” says Zoe. “The camaraderie is my favorite part. I’ve made some of my best friends through theatre.”

Theatre-friend Julia Clayton comments, “I’ve made a lot of good memories with Zoe! No matter the mood she’s in, she always projects positive energy [like] no one I’ve ever met before … There are so many things that Zoe Goldstein has been through, and she still never lets that maturity, positivity, and kindness fade, and I really admire that.”

Future Plans

Within STEM, Zoe’s love for supporting others spreads into her future plans. In addition to her EMT work, Zoe has a strong passion for advocacy in the sciences, in part stemming from her own journey with auditory processing disorder. Not affecting how much she hears, but rather how she processes the words, Zoe has found some disability aids like hearing aids helpful. For her EMT work, Zoe had to really communicate with the county to have a stethoscope amplifier made available to her. “I just couldn’t believe that there was not a resource like that already available in the county,” Zoe says. “Through these experiences, I’ve learned how to be a really good advocate for myself, and I want to extend that towards other people and marginalized communities who don’t have the resources to advocate for themselves.”

Zoe plans to major in public health and either double major in health sciences or minor in something medically-oriented. Ultimately, Zoe says, “I want to work with urban populations throughout that lens of public health. I think my focus is combating inequities in the healthcare field, especially concerning LGBTQ individuals and access to healthcare and knowledge about healthcare.” While uncertain about exactly what lies after undergrad, whether it be med school, research, or something else, Zoe says, “I want to be very hands-on because there are huge issues … and more people are needed that care about it and want to learn about it.”

It is no doubt that the compassion, support, and positivity that Zoe Goldstein brings everywhere she goes will have an incredible impact on whatever’s next for her. “Zoe is a phenomenal human being and I think we would all benefit if everyone was thoughtful like Zoe, and had a heart for service like Zoe does. She’s really, really great, and builds a community and contributes to the wellbeing of other people even if she doesn’t even know them,” Enloe English teacher Mrs. Street says. Enloe will miss having such an authentically positive force on our school, but we are incredibly grateful and proud to have witnessed the impact of Zoe Goldstein while she was here. The Eagle’s Eye knows she is going to go incredibly far. Good luck Zoe!