HOUSTON, Miss. (WTVA) -- It's a good fit.
That's the word from three young people who are pursuing careers in Houston.
These professionals could have left but choose a path close to home.
Eric Smith and Casey Lancaster are both one month away from wrapping up their studies to become paramedics.
Eric already works as an EMT, but he wants to take it to the next level.
Casey and Eric both say they could have moved away, but life in their hometown was the best fit for them.
"It helps on the scene. You build trust with the people you know and work with everyday," Smith said.
"You never want to see anybody sick-especially somebody you know. That's just kind of a driven thing for me just to take care of my home folks," Lancaster said.
Paige Horn is a dental hygienist at her mother's dental practice in Houston.
"Now they kind of see you more (as) a health care professional helping them out, so I think it makes it a little bit more personal for sure," Horn said.
"I would love to see more kids from our high school. We have a wonderful high school in Houston and I would love to see them come back to their community and serve the people because there's a lot of need here," Dr Teena Horn said.
That is a feeling shared by others.
"Just stay in Houston-live and work in Houston instead of moving off," Houston resident Ben Clark said.
"I see some moving away, but I would love for them to all come back home and build up our town. I just really want things to grow," Houston resident Delois McShan said.
"It's great that these individuals excelled in their fields of work and they want to come back and take care of hometown folks and work in their communities because any of them have the opportunity to go anywhere they wanted to," Houston resident Linda Griffin said.
Paige Horn says a move could come some day, but right now she's content to stay close to familiar faces.
