Evan Olson’s journey from Chick-fil-A Park to the emergency room—and his next steps toward becoming a doctor.
THEN - As a Chick-fil-A Park Team Member
NOW - Emergency care Patient Technician at Grandview Health
When Evan Olson came back to Chick-fil-A during college breaks, he was building more than his savings. He was learning how to care for people—lessons he now carries into the ER. The care he learned to give our guests is now helping him reach patients in their hardest moments.
From Chick-fil-A to the ER
For about three years, Evan spent school breaks working on our team at Chick-fil-A Park Blvd. Now he’s working in an emergency room, and he says his time with us helped prepare him more than he expected.
Evan is currently an ER Patient Care Technician and a Biochemistry student at Samford University, with plans to become a doctor. Long shifts and caring for people under pressure are part of his work today.
Learning to care at Chick-fil-A Park
Evan joined our team while he was a senior in high school. After graduating in 2022, he began attending Samford University, but kept coming back to work with us during school breaks. During that time, he discovered a workplace that felt like family and developed a growing appreciation for what it meant to care for people.
Evan with his Chick-fil-A teammates
That desire to serve reached beyond the restaurant. In our 2025 scholarship story, Evan shared how mission trips to Zambia and Ecuador had shaped him. He had also led Samford’s Food Heroes Club, helping rescue surplus campus food for local shelters.
Evan (right) at Chick-fil-A Park Blvd. & Plano Pkwy’s Remarkable Future Scholars wall.
While he was still working shifts at Chick-fil-A Park, he earned his EMT certification, wanting real, firsthand experience in medicine before he ever stepped into a hospital as a doctor. That certification led him to Grandview Health, where he now works as a patient care technician in the emergency room while finishing his degree.
The endurance and work ethic he developed at the restaurant helped him through long ER shifts.
Just as valuable was the habit of noticing what mattered to someone else, even when it seemed small.
“I was able to develop a deep care for the smallest details of a patient because I knew it mattered to them.”
Evan in his EMT Academy uniform with Julieta at Chick-fil-A Park
A Rhythm He’d Already Learned
Evan says the ER and Chick-fil-A Park Blcd run on a similar clock — long, quiet stretches, then suddenly everyone needs something at once. He's convinced he wouldn't have made it through his first 12-hour shift, let alone thrived in one, without those years of handling that exact rhythm at the restaurant.
“ Had I not worked at Chick-fil-A for so long and developed endurance, work ethic, and impeccable customer service skills, there would have been no way that I would have survived even one 12-hour shift in the ER.”
In the ER, Evan helps people who may be frightened, frustrated, or in pain. He says connecting with patients personally has helped him build trust.
During a hospital-wide computer outage, that ability to connect became especially important. A woman receiving psychiatric care escaped the ER and made her way to a highway. She felt there was no hope for her condition, and she was nearly struck by traffic. Evan was able to persuade her to return to the hospital, bringing her back to safety and care.
He describes helping patients and speaking up for them as both a pleasure and a responsibility.
His work ethic has not gone unnoticed. In his first month in the ER, the hospital directors recognized him with an award for going above and beyond.
“He treats everyone who walks through our doors with the utmost kindness, dignity, and respect.”From Grandview Health's recognition post
In the recognition, Grandview Health praised Evan’s positive attitude, willingness to help coworkers, and strong work ethic. The announcement also highlighted the kindness and respect he shows people, which helped him quickly earn his colleagues’ trust
The Inspiration That Stuck With Him
Ask Evan who shaped him most at Chick-fil-A Park, and he doesn't hesitate: Operations Director, Olivia Wong. She treated every coworker and customer with respect, stepped in to solve problems, regardless of whose fault they were.
“This is servant leadership,” Evan says. It’s an example he continues to carry into his work with patients.
Looking towards medical school
A shift at Chick-fil-A Park Blvd. pays an hourly wage. For Evan, it paid out in other ways too — the stamina for a twelve-hour shift, the instinct to notice when someone needs help before they ask, the habit of treating every person in front of him like they matter.
Evan with colleagues at a restaurant Christmas party
Evan will graduate from Samford with a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry in May 2027. He has already completed one medical school interview and is continuing to learn in the ER while awaiting his next opportunity. His goal is to become a trauma surgeon or emergency medicine physician.
“Chick-fil-A allowed me to develop the skills that I did not know I needed to be successful and helpful in my future goals”
“Chick-fil-A allowed me to develop the skills that I did not know I needed to be successful and helpful in my future goals,” he reflects.
Looking back on everything, Evan's own takeaway is simple: the one who's faithful in the small things ends up faithful in the big ones too. He encourages others to take their work seriously, even when a task seems small. He knows firsthand how much those everyday experiences can teach you.
Evan, we're so proud of you. Thank you for the years you gave our team at Chick-fil-A Park Blvd. & Plano Pkwy., and for trusting us to tell this part of your story. Go become the doctor you've been working toward. We can’t wait to see what else the Lord has in store for you.
Ready to write your own story? We're always looking for people who show up with heart. Join the team at Chick-fil-A Park Blvd. and see what's possible.