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In This Issue:
Summer Jobs Program Participants
As the end of the summer draws near, BWH bids farewell to a hard working group of Tobin Middle School students involved in the hospital’s Summer Jobs Program. In addition to exposing youth in the community to the many careers that health care has to offer, the Summer Jobs Program provides Tobin teens with a productive summer filled with volunteer and employment experiences that will better prepare them for their transition into high school and beyond.
According to Jennifer Allison, assistant director of BWH’s Office for Women, Family and Community Programs, the department that sponsors the Summer Jobs Program, this program is an integral piece of BWH’s partnership with the Tobin School. “The program helps children to acquire basic work skills, fosters emotional maturity, and introduces them to a wide variety of health care careers. It’s a great opportunity to grow and learn —and earn some money,” said Allison.
Students enrolled in the program began paid positions at BWH at the end of June, working 24 hours each week for eight weeks. Their paid job assignments followed a mandatory six weeks of volunteering at BWH during their final weeks of middle school.
Family members, BWH managers and Tobin School representatives applauded the students’ efforts at a special graduation ceremony held at BWH on August 14. Guest speaker JudyAnn Bigby, MD, shared the story of her career and encouraged the teenagers to work hard toward their goals.
“You have all been an important part of BWH this summer and you can bet that someone learned something from you just as you learned from your managers and other coworkers here. I hope that you will always remember that you have something valuable and important to offer and that is why you must stay focused on what you want to do,” said Bigby, who is the medical director of Community Health Programs and director of the Office of Women, Family and Community Programs.
“My career in medicine has given me experiences that I never thought I would have as a child growing up in a family where no one had ever attended college. I know that many of you can also look forward to going through the doors that will open for you if you work hard and just stick to finding a way to be what you want to be,” added Bigby.
Students graduating from the program include Jovanni Carvajal, Natalis Figuereo, Jonathan Lara, Stanley Marsh, Jovan Medina, Madonna Pagan, Jerikah Price, Apocalipsis Rosario, Elixmarie Santos, Darnell Hydes, John Haynes and Janina Miguel. Students were able to contribute to many different areas of the hospital from Orthopedics to the Mailroom.