#OPINION With all that happened in 2020, it's easy to overlook some valuable lessons we can take away from both our collective and individual experiences. We must understand how challenges that may seem independent from one another are connected. 

The Stony Brook Volunteer Ambulance Corps (SBVAC), the university’s collegiate emergency medical services (EMS) agency founded in 1970, is made up of 39 trained student volunteers. The organization, which usually responds to 900-1000 calls a year, including helping overwhelmed local EMS, became essential workers in a global health crisis.