He graduated after a campus police officer saved his life. She was there for him again
Two years ago, Kendrah Cline – then a police officer at Virginia Tech University –won a Lifesaving Medal for saving a student’s life after he had a seizure.
Thursday, now-Sergeant Cline watched Michael Senoyuit IV walk across the stage to receive his engineering degree from Virginia Tech, according to the Virginia Tech Police Facebook account.
Cline also received the university’s 2015 President’s Award for Excellence after re-starting Senoyuit’s heart by performing CPR when she responded to the scene of an unresponsive student at one of the campus dining halls in October 2014, according to Virginia Tech News.
When she arrived at the West End Market, where Senoyuit worked in his junior year, he had no pulse, after succumbing to a type of seizure doctors told the student’s family kills 98 percent of its victims, according to WSLS.
“Though initially in critical condition, Michael worked very, very hard to make it back,” the VT Police Facebook post said.
So did Cline.
“While the training we receive is top-notch, until such time when an officer actually must put that training to the test, one does not really know how one will react,” Virginia Tech Police Chief Kevin Foust wrote in his letter of nomination for the university award, according to Virginia Tech News. “In this case, Officer Cline’s calmness, coolness and professional demeanor in dealing with this medical emergency is not only a testament to the seriousness in which she takes her chosen profession, but also serves as an excellent example to the rest of the department.”
The school motto at Virginia Tech is “Ut Prosim,” which in English means “That I may serve.” It seems fitting in Cline’s case.
“What a special Hokie, what a special family, what a special officer,” the VT Police wrote on Facebook.
This story was originally published December 21, 2017 at 1:45 PM with the headline "He graduated after a campus police officer saved his life. She was there for him again."