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In This Issue:
SSJP graduate and scholarship recipient Lydia Alfonso with the Center for Community Health and Health Equity’s Amy Belyea, MPH, Youth Programs manager, and Wanda McClain, MPA, executive director.
Student Success Jobs Program (SSJP) graduates Andrew Green and Lydia Alfonso stood before a packed Bornstein Amphitheater last month and shared how the mentoring of the Biomedical Engineering staff has made a difference in their lives.
“Everyone is so helpful, and our mentor, (Biomedical Engineering Director) Michael Fraai, is always there to help,” Alfonso said. “His door is always open. The department’s mentoring has made our time here a life-changing experience.”
With mentoring from the Biomedical Engineering staff, both students learned the interpersonal skills to be part of a team and the discipline to perform such an important job.
Green added, “We are part of an essential team that oversees nearly 22,000 devices throughout the hospital.”
The two Boston Latin Academy seniors were among 23 SSJP students who graduated from the program in June. Fellow students, family members and BWH mentors filled not only the Bornstein to capacity, but also an overflow seating area set up in the nearby Cabot Atrium with a live video feed.
A program within the Center for Community Health and Health Equity, SSJP matches 75 Boston high school students with internships and mentors in more than 60 BWH departments each year.
The annual graduation ceremony acknowledges the important contributions students have made. All of this year’s graduates are headed to college in the fall.
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, this year’s keynote speaker, recognized students’ achievements and encouraged them to continue their work and appreciate what a remarkable opportunity they have been given to work at a world-class hospital.
“You’re the next generation of leaders,” Menino told the students. “You’ve proven that you have the skill, talent and maturity to accomplish anything you set your mind to. These accomplishments will not only benefit you, but will also benefit our city.”
In its 11th year, SSJP has graduated 275 students, 96 percent of whom have gone on to attend college.
“Those numbers are quite a legacy, and this success is attributed to the commitment of mentors across the hospital who open their doors and to students who are dedicated to learning and making a difference in the future,” said BWH President Betsy Nabel, MD.
During the ceremony, Nabel also announced that SSJP will award 19 scholarships that will assist students with education-related expenses in their first year of college.