Keys for Rooting Change

I worked as a summer project intern for Community Refugee and Immigration Services (CRIS): Community Connectors – a program created to support new American middle and high school students in Central Ohio through one-on-one mentorship and other resources. A fellow intern and I planned and implemented a summer program named “Keys for Rooting Change” for students of Columbus Global Academy.  

This summer program was one that had never been done before, either at Columbus Global Academy, or through CRIS Community Connectors. Additionally, neither I, nor my fellow intern, had ever developed a program for students before. All parties involved went into the experience with open eyes and hands, ready to learn and grow on the fly. We spent the whole month of May planning and creating program activities for each day – with my fellow intern focusing on creating piano lessons for students, and me working on creating an educational gardening experience for students, with an overall goal of improving the courtyard space of the school.  

Not only did my confidence in my own ability to figure situations out on the fly grow, but my confidence in, and ability to facilitate productive and healthy team-work also grew in ways I couldn’t have expected it to. There was little structure to the development and implementation of our project, so my fellow intern and I had to trust each other to accomplish what we each had said we would, and to push each other to step beyond what we were comfortable with, in order to help the program and students succeed. Finally, I grew in the valuing and developing of relationships and community in regards to task completion.  

If I had to put it in one sentence, this whole project was a lesson in the synergies and joy of keeping your eyes and hands open. In early Spring 2019, I had approached the head of CRIS Community Connectors to ask about a summer internship that could help the CRIS community. He challenged me to come up with my own idea for a summer project, and I came back a few weeks later with the idea to connect some students from a local school to UNITY Fridge – a vegetable garden located at Waterman Farm created to combat local food deserts. I hoped to create a program that would allow the students to travel to parts of Columbus they might not normally have been to, to spend time on a farm in an outdoor environment, to practice English, to encourage a value of nutrition, and to just have fun! My supervisor was supportive of this program idea, but soon came back to me with a new one that was in synergy with prior relationships between CRIS and Columbus Global Academy.  

My soon to be fellow intern had proposed creating piano lessons for students associated with CRIS programming, and my supervisor decided to merge our programs into one big summer program. I changed my plan to focus on the courtyard space of the school, and what the students of the school would want for it. My fellow intern and I went with our supervisor into one of the project-based learning classrooms in early May to present to hear different ideas on what they wanted for their courtyard. The students then used the rest of the school year to work in groups and create their own plans for the courtyard space. At the end of the year, we went in again to hear them present officially.  

We then used the rest of the month of May to plan out the program’s schedule, and to find students interested in participating in the program – one of my favorite parts of the program, and a task more difficult than one might traditionally expect. Relationships and relationship integrity are highly important for the multiculturality of CRIS Community Connectors program, so instead of using a method that many schools might traditionally use to find participants for a program such as a sign-up sheet or announcements, we talked to one of Community Connector’s mentees who is a highly dedicated student at Columbus Global Academy, and an active participant in CRIS’s programs. She helped us by finding other students who would be willing and committed to participate in our summer program. In turn, we (the interns) went into their school lunch period to find each student who had indicated a willingness to participate and talked to them to make sure they understood the program requirements and had them fill out necessary paperwork. In this way, this program was highly relational – which is a strong value of mine as well, as someone who grew up outside of the US, in a highly relational culture. It was a growing experience for me to pursue the accomplishment of a task in such a relational environment, and required lots of varied skills in communication.  

Finally, we had to implement a lot of flexibility when it came to the actual program. Most things did not go according to how we had planned them, which was something that we had expected, and so we had to make a lot of scheduling, transportation, logistical, and programming decisions on the fly. This was a great experience for me personally, and it helped us focus more on enjoying the experience of getting to know the students who participated in our program. 

The skills, relationships, and confidence that I gained from this summer program were invaluable. I understand even better than before how much I personally value relational integrity, especially in professional environments, in a way that is not traditionally culturally American. This has helped me to shape my understanding of the kind of environment I want to work in after I graduate – I absolutely want to work in a field that requires deep cross-cultural communication and community building. Secondly, I have a deeper confidence in my own ability to learn quickly, listen well, and to use flexibility in the work-place. I made decisions, led tasks, and organized people in ways that, before this summer, I didn’t really believe that I could. Most of all, however, it was simply a joy and an honor to work alongside some of Columbus’s new American middle and high school students this summer in this school’s courtyard space. I am glad I got to have a glimpse into each of their lives, and, as I remain with CRIS through the mentorship program, I hope to have a chance to continue to watch how they grow throughout their high school careers.

Columbus Refugee and Immigration Services Community Connector

My STEP signature project was a service project that entailed working with Columbus Refugee and Immigration Services. I helped run and organize an afterschool program for a couple of refugee students. In this program, we were able to teach the children how to play the piano as well as fix up and paint their courtyard.

Going into this project I did not understand the scope and reach of Columbus Refugee and Immigration Services. This organization impacts and helps so many people in the Columbus Community. I have previously worked with this organization helping with one to one mentoring so I had a little insight into some of the problems that refugees faced when they come to America. From this project, I learned about collaboration and companionship. I had to help plan activities with the other college students working in the program. Not only was I working with other college students, I was also working with a younger population of students. The students came from all different backgrounds and varied in ages so I was able to learn to interact with other people who are different from me. I was also able to develop a closer relationship with my mentee since she was apart of the program. This really showed me the importance of being a good role model.

There are many memorable experiences I can take away from my work with Columbus Refugee and Immigration Services. A key change that I have seen in myself is my ability to communicate and work with other people. One instance of this was when I met one of the students in the program for the first time. I had to figure out how to communicate through a partial language barrier. I tried to use my knowledge of Spanish to talk to him and from that, I was able to learn a lot about his family life and his experience coming to America. 

Throughout this project, I also learned about collaboration. I had to work with other college students who were also running the program. We had to overcome some obstacles together. One time the school closed off the portion of the building that leads to the piano room. We had to work around this obstacle and find other activities to do. We decided to continue to take the time to plan out what we wanted the courtyard to look like with the students since some of them would be attending that school the following year. I learned to become more flexible with my schedule from this experience. 

I was also able to form a closer bond with my mentee, Arsema. I was able to fill the shoes of being her role model and learned a lot about responsibility. Since she was going into high school this upcoming year, she had many questions on what to expect. It ranged from the difficulty of classes to the requirements to graduate high school. It was a really great opportunity for us to bond and for me to give her advice on what is to come. Hopefully, this made her transition into high school easier. I can only imagine how difficult it is to navigate school without someone being there to show her the ropes. We were also able to start working on a welcome guide written in Tigrinya for recent refugees from Eritrea so they can explore and learn more about the culture of Columbus. 

This experience was able to shape me in many ways. It will be something that I will remember for the rest of my life and I hope to continue working with Columbus Refugee and Immigration Services in the future. 

This experience was valuable to my life because I got to work with a population of kids that I would have otherwise never met. This can help me with my professional career plan because I plan on going into the medical field, and I will be serving people from all different backgrounds. I have a greater understanding of the many struggles that refugees face with they come to this country. I think that I will be more patient knowing that it may be difficult to adjust to a new setting and culture. I am also more aware of other resources that can be offered to refugees so they have some support. I also think this experience made me an overall more open-minded person, and that can be helpful for any situation in life whether that’s academic, personal, or professional.

Safe Point: Lessons in Harm Reduction

I spent my STEP Signature Project volunteering with Safe Point, Columbus’ only syringe exchange program. Safe Point was founded on the principles of harm reduction, making inherently risky activities as safe as possible. In this spirit we provide our anonymous participants with clean syringes and other safer injection supplies, syringe disposal equipment, wound care supplies, safer sex supplies, and information and resources for just about every need. I spent most of my time with Safe Point distributing or packing supplies, directing participants to resources, and discussing principles and practicalities of harm reduction with the staff.

Over the course of my STEP Signature Project, I legitimately believe I became a kinder, worldlier, and more well-rounded person. Working at Safe Point was an exercise in compassion, restraint, and adaptability. Handling a last-minute rush of participants, providing a distressed participant with whatever resources they need, and dealing with the personal emotional fallout after hearing the third real-life horror story of the day, all tested and built my ability to perform under pressure, change strategies on the fly, and build resilience. Safe Point has had tangible effects on my self-image, my personal and professional goals, and the way I choose to interact with people.

Throughout my time at Safe Point, the faces I saw most often were of the staff and other volunteers. Evan, Rick, Bion, Elizabeth, Javier, and Brittany form a ragtag group of bleeding hearts with backgrounds in social work, community organization, and addiction. Their capacities for kindness, impartiality, ‘tough love’, and consistent presences are the foundation of an incredible organization that keeps participants coming back. Participants would often come in looking for specific staff members that they had built longstanding relationships with. In each of these relationships, I could glimpse specific traits that make each of the staff members as incredible as they are. Bion, a staff member currently pursuing a degree in Social Work, has a particular talent for letting people open up to him – his interviews often stretch longer than others, as participants feel his attentive listening, limitless open-mindedness, and generous sense of humor, and suddenly let spill everything they have been holding onto. Paying attention to Bion’s work quickly taught me how many people are just looking for someone to listen without judgement. Elizabeth, our Alcohol and Drug counselor, staffs the front desk, and recognizes most returning participants, whether the last time they were in was a week or a year ago. Her unending compassion, and stern words of warning to those who needed to hear it taught me that there does not need to be a division between generously supporting others and asserting your own boundaries. Evan’s smile is quick to light up a room; Rick’s crass sense of humor and personal experience with addiction reminds us that life can always move forward in the most unexpected ways; Javier’s adaptability and willingness to examine multiple points of view inspire me to continue along a path of helping anyone who might be in need; Brittany’s inexhaustible kindness reminds me that vulnerability can be your biggest strength. Participants coming in to ask for specific staff members would often be beaming with pride, ready to tell them that they had gotten a job, medical attention, housing, cut back on their using – any accomplishment they had been working towards. The announcement would always be met with support, uncontained joy, and congratulations. The biggest lesson I learned from having the honor of spending time with these six incredible humans: relationships are everything. In life, and especially in a line of work that asks people to trust us after they have been given plenty of reason to not trust anyone.

Of course, the people I spent the most time with besides staff were our participants. I do not know to what extent I can discuss the troubles I witnessed or provided assistance for, because relaying other people’s traumatic moments for the purposes of my academic fellowship feels deeply exploitative. I can say that working at Safe Point caused me to meet some of the kindest, most complex, most resilient people that I have ever known. Surely, not every single interaction started or ended positively, but the vast majority of people I have met through Safe Point have been warmhearted, clever, and possess an incredible sense of humor. My favorite position in the program was staffing the front desk. As participants would walk in, I would have the opportunity to make sure they feel welcome in our space. This was as simple as pointing out the bathroom, the water cooler, the supply window, and our large stack of resource guides for housing, legal, food, and medical assistance, and reminding people that even if they did not need syringes they could come in to use any of these supports or just to chat. It was not uncommon for people to express that we were the friendliest interaction of their day. I feel incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to forge relationships with people who were often facing adversity from every corner. Over the course of my time with the program, every person who used our services faced ups and downs. I hope that having someone to listen to them, to laugh with, to hug or cry to, made even the smallest difference in their day. I hope that knowing that whether or not they continued to use drugs, we consistently care about their health and safety, made a difference for someone.

One of the most upsetting story themes I heard in my time at Safe Point was avoidance of medical care because of the way people with addictions could expect to be treated by medical professionals. Our participants, even those who had health insurance, would often spend weeks, months, years dealing with abscesses, injuries, and unexplained pains rather than seek medical attention. Elizabeth and I would nag them the whole time, listing off names of free clinics, begging them to go to any kind of medical facility rather than end up another participant missing a limb, or worse. The answer was the same far too often – whether or not they could afford the medical care, their past experiences with doctors, nurses, and pharmacists were riddled with condescension, judgement, and often outright cruelty. The majority of these participants are adults who have been using for long periods of time. They are under no false impression that drug use is safe or healthy. They are not asking doctors for pain killers, money, or ‘enablement’. They are seeking medical attention for issues that, yes, are often the result of intravenous drug use. Medical professionals treat lung cancer of long-time smokers, injuries of recreational skydivers, and alcohol poisoning, and have established an obligation to help anyone in need of medical attention. I have been furious to hear that when people with addiction seek care, they often expect to be treated terribly. As a Public Health student, I know that being discriminated against in medical settings often has the same effect on long-term health outcomes as a physical lack of access to medical care. People with addictions need and deserve appropriate, compassionate, comprehensive healthcare. I hope that over the course of my time working in public health, I can further that goal.

This experience was especially valuable for me because I had the opportunity to cultivate skills that will translate well to the work I want to be doing throughout my career. I want to be working with community-oriented, equity-focused organizations that provide for immediate need while seeking systemic change through progressive policy and social action. Working with the Safe Point team affirmed this to me, while also illuminating some of the hurdles and compromises that I should anticipate in the non-profit realm. I hope to spend my career working on a community level towards reducing health disparities faced by marginalized populations. So, it was extremely useful to hone my ability to work with people experiencing a wide range of circumstance in the context of resource connection.

Child-Health Internship in Ho, Ghana

For my STEP Signature Project, I traveled to Ho, Ghana to work as a Child-Health Intern for Cross Cultural Solutions. During my time in Ghana I worked in traveling clinics with local nurses and physicians. My duties included data collection, shadowing, and lending a helping hand wherever needed.

My STEP experience was transformational in a variety of different ways as I continue forward with my education, career, and personal life. Personally, I was able to grow by traveling across the world to a completely different culture all by myself. It took me out of my comfort zone and felt like a right of passage into adulthood. My view of the world changed because I was exposed to a culture completely different from mine. It gave me true appreciation for my everyday life. My time was also a valuable experience in deciding what next steps I want to take for my career.

The first key event in my experience during my project was the drive from the airport to our home base. It was a 4-hour drive that allowed me to see a lot of Ghana. Fresh off the plane it was intense being completely immersed in a culture so different from mine. I tried my best to soak in everything I saw. There were no urban-developments like we have here, and people were lining the sides of the roads no matter where we went. During that drive Africa made its first impression on me and I will never forget how amazing it felt to see something completely new.

A key relationship was with the physician’s assistant, Fostrina, that I worked with the closest. Her guidance was monumental to my time spent in Ghana. The chance to see how she operates with what she has available was truly fascinating. It really opened my eyes to the type of medical care we have here in the United States. Fostrina would walk me through everything she was doing, and I will cherish that unique experience with her forever.

I think the biggest aspect that made this project transformational was the total sense of independence. At 20 years old I had the chance to fly to Africa completely by myself and stay with complete strangers. It took a leap of faith, and a personal challenge to create an unforgettable experience. I am so glad that I was able to this project through STEP.

This transformation is valuable to my life because it has taught to me pushing out my comfort zone. I will continue to challenge myself to do things that I have never done before. I feel like my ability to connect with people across the globe has been transformed and that will be extremely valuable as I live out the rest of my life. I learned a lot about myself and the world I am of part of from this project. I will be sure to carry these lessons with me for the rest of my life.

 

Young Life Camp Volunteer Experience

During my STEP Signature Project, I spent two months at Rockbridge, a Young Life camp. There I helped set up and run all of the events for the campers that come in every week. I worked on the waterfront and the ropes course of the camp.

 

While I was at camp my understanding of myself drastically changed. I think one of the coolest things that happened while I was there was that I learned a lot about myself. I got to learn more about the good and the not so good parts of myself. I learned that I thrive in an environment that works on organizing and running. However, I also learned that a negative part of myself is that I often serve with a very selfish mindset, wondering that if I do something for someone that they will do something in return for me. While I learned this about myself, while serving, because I was a volunteer, I got to correct this is my mind and have become someone who serves selflessly.

 

While serving at camp I met so many different people. All of these people were completely different from me, grew up in different places than me, go to different schools than me, and each of them taught me a lot of about myself. While on summer staff, I served with around 30-40 other people each month. Because I was there for two sessions, I had two different groups of people that I had the privilege of serving alongside. I got to learn so much from each of these people because they were all so different from me. This interaction with them also put me extremely out of my comfort zone because I did not know anybody coming into the experience. This led to a lot of growth for me in my boldness and putting myself out there to other people, and working towards bettering myself through diversity.

 

I also got to interact with many different campers throughout my time at camp. There was a different group of campers at camp every week. Because I was at camp for 8 weeks, I was privileged with getting to meet hundreds of new people every week and learn from them. These were all high school kids, and while they were all younger than me, I learned a lot from them. Each of these kids comes from a different background, whether that be school, race, or location, but I think that diversity is what allowed me to grow so much. I got to learn about what it is like for these kids and get to step into their lives. In our society today, human interaction and humans caring about one another and their stories is something that is not as highly valued and I got to counter that and step into people’s lives, in their mess and all and love them through it.

 

In the final two weeks that I was at camp, we got to serve Young Life’s Capernaum ministry. This is their ministry for kids with special needs. Every single week that I got to serve campers were incredible. However, there was something extremely special about serving these kids. In our society, people that have special needs are often overlooked and not valued as people who can truly contribute to society. Getting to serve these kids and help play a small role in making them feel loved, welcome and wanted was the most valuable thing. I learned so much about just being myself and being comfortable with that through the interactions that I got to have with these kids. All of the people that I got to meet and interact with while were the highlights of my trip and were what taught me the most. I think that I learned through this the power of people. The bond that we all have through being human beings is so important, and truly has a power to bring people together, and that is something I learned through this project that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

 

Our society is in one of the hardest places that it has ever been in before right now. With the age that I am at, I am having to enter adulthood in a tough time, where a lot of societal problems are being presented and left for me and my generation to deal with. What I learned through simply interacting with people at camp that I had never met and entering into their life is an invaluable skill. Today, I think the idea of simply getting to know people and truly entering into their life is rare. By simply getting to know someone, instead of being a stranger to you that you can almost dehumanize them, they become a human being with a name and feeling, just like I have. This is one of the most important factors in making peace. With my major being international relations and diplomacy, this is what I am most passionate about. A lot of the issues that exist within our world, are instances in which people dehumanize other people. Learning how to do something that is taught in peace making myself, gives me experience in the future to be able to show it to others in my profession. Everyone in the world should use these skills, which is why it was so invaluable for me to learn it in through this STEP Signature Project.

Women’s Respite Center Volunteer and Pharmacy Preparatory Experience

1.

This summer I took several courses as well as prepared for the July 2019 PCAT, Pharmacy College Admissions Test. Additionally, I volunteered at a local women’s center, serving victims of trafficking by providing them with food, clothing, a shower, and first aid.

2.

My STEP Signature Project produced two very different, yet rewarding outcomes. As for my academic portion of the project, my performance and hard work for the PCAT not only paid off, but encouraged me in ways I had been lacking before. After a tough sophomore year, I felt very discouraged about my grades and developed the mindset that I was unable to do well. However, after receiving good grades in my summer courses and doing well on the PCAT, my confidence grew and realized I am capable of more than I previously thought.

My volunteer portion of the project enhanced my perspective of the world around us. Living around campus and attending such a large university, it is sometimes easy to forget how privileged I am to live the life I do. The Women’s Respite Center allowed me to immerse myself in a different world, one where finding food and a place to sleep are some of their most pressing issues. Simply having conversations with the women has shown me how much they appreciate kindness and love, for they do not receive it in their daily lives.

3.

Staying in Columbus over the summer expanded my independence tremendously and gave me the opportunity to achieve my long-term goals. While maintaining a busy schedule filled with classes, work, and volunteer, I was able to experience life completely on my own for the first time. Each one of my courses developed my work ethic in school and allowed me to incorporate it into everyday life, as well. This became crucial during the time I spent studying for the PCAT. Despite my worries, I dedicated my free time to studying and kept my focus because I knew I could achieve my goals if I put in the work. To my surprise, I was very pleased with my results on the exam and finally understood that a few setbacks early on in school do not dictate the outcomes of all future situations.

During my time at the Women’s Respite Center, I learned a lot about the surrounding area and the typical lifestyle of the women we serve. Nearly all of the women are victims of trafficking and have been unable to escape their current situation. After being trafficked from a young age, many of them turn to prostitution as a way to make money or have been forced into it. Volunteering at the center, I see how they light up when I initiate a conversation, show them compassion, or even remember their names from the previous week. It provides them with a safe and comforting place where they can escape the chaos from their lives. Simply being in that environment with those women gives me a greater understanding of the dangers they encounter daily. It is much different from my background and almost makes me feel guilty for my privilege, however, I know the best way for me to help is to care for and love these women.

This summer was the first time I lived completely on my own and the things I learned through each experience only strengthened my independence. I was able to fully appreciate being given the opportunity to attend such a renowned university and accomplishing goals I had been planning for years. Despite being far from my family, I am comforted knowing I will always have a loving and encouraging environment to go home to. My optimism for the future has heightened and I look forward to doing more to help others.

4.

These transformations that I have undergone as a result of my STEP Signature Project not only will help me in the near future, with school and further volunteering, but it will serve as a stepping stone throughout my future career. As a pharmacist, patient interactions and establishing relationships is extremely important. Pharmacists serve as reliable and convenient health care professionals. Many patients look to their pharmacist as someone they can trust and share personal information. Although they cannot always relate to their patients, they adjust to the situation and do their best to empathize with them. Working in the Women’s Respite Center has given me exposure to difficult and uncomfortable circumstances and taught me how to respond in a respectful and appropriate manner. The skills I develop from my volunteer work will continuously benefit me in the future.

Women’s Respite Center

 

My Experience at a Specialized School

In the summer of 2019, I interned and volunteered in San Francisco at Kahlon Family Services School. This is an elementary school dedicated to providing children who have developmental, social, or learning disabilities a place to learn effectively. I worked as a teaching intern at the end of their school year and during summer camp focusing on music, science, and mindfulness.

I like to keep an open mind about the people, ideas, and things I encounter. But even though I don’t have ill intentions, I realized that I have an initial way of thinking about everything based on assumptions. And unless I live in the world of the thing I’m interested in, I won’t have a clear, concrete idea of what it’s like. This experience has allowed me to live in the world with these kids. From this, I was able to interact and learn from the children, teachers, parents, and specialists. There were many topics that I had an idea of going into this experience but were completely changed coming out of it.

Going in, one of the vague ideas I had going in was regarding children with autism. I hadn’t had any experience working with kids with autism, but this experience allowed me to befriend children that are on the autism spectrum. Since there were several children, there were verbal and nonverbal children. I had no prior experience working with children who were nonverbal, so it was a different situation in that I had to learn how to nonverbally communicate with the children. There were also children who have trouble in a traditional school setting but are exceptionally intelligent and loving. Since I spent the whole school day with these children, I also was able to grow close to all the kids and learned about their lives and interests.

I was able to individually teach and plan music and science classes for the kids. I had experience doing one-on-one tutoring lessons on academics, music, and swimming, but never in a class setting by myself. Going in, I had plans for what each day or each lesson was going to go. But I learned very quickly that with any kind of child, plans do not work. I had to be very flexible and individualize each lesson for each child. I was able to learn a lot about how to teach and how to react to unexpected situations or reactions. My way of talking and explaining became more focused and simple for the children too. I was also able to get certified in yoga training for kids with autism. This was an amazing experience, because I was able to learn how to engage and teach children who were nonverbal to do yoga routines.

The teachers and specialists I worked closely with taught me a lot about themselves and their experiences throughout the summer. They have a lot more experience than me, and it was great being able to see and hear how they found themselves at their current point in life. But I was able to interact with many parents as well, and it was eye-opening to see their perspective with their children. Although the children are wonderful, there are hardships they go through that other children in traditional settings don’t have to. There are doctors and specialists involved and it creates a lot of burden on the parents. I was able to learn about the concerns the parents had and talk with them about their lives.

This change matters a lot in my life, because I am aiming for medical school and doctors need to aware of everyone involved and convey empathy effectively. The field of pediatrics is interesting to me, and the children I was with interacted with doctors. I was able to see how they live their lives outside of just the medical office. But doctors also need to take into account the mental health of any patient which involves the different sectors of the patient’s life. A doctor needs to incorporate teachers, family, and other things into a diagnosis or treatment because they are important to the overall health of a person. I was able to be a part of a lot of different areas in the children’s lives and it was a changing experience.

MetroHealth Hospital STEP Reflection

This past summer, I volunteered at MetroHealth Hospital in the Emergency Department and Cancer Care Area. In both areas of the hospital, I rounded on patients, which involved talking with them and offering comfort items such as food, drinks, blankets, and toiletries.

 

Throughout my STEP Signature Project, my experiences led me to deepen my understanding of medicine and transformed the ways I interact with patients, empathize, handle high-intensity situations, and tackle diversity. Previous to my STEP Signature Project, I had volunteered in hospitals, but my roles weren’t as hands-on and patient interactive as what I experienced this summer. For the first time, I was given a bit of independence in a healthcare setting, and this was overwhelming at first. I interacted with patients on my own, stumbling at first, but built skills in patient interaction and empathizing with patients. I was frequently thrown into situations I never had expected, but I became more comfortable in the face of diverse and high-stress situations. Overall, my STEP Signature Project taught me a lot about and strengthened my drive to work in medicine.

 

As I progressed through my STEP Signature Project, I noticed a change in how I interacted with patients. My first shift in the Emergency Department, I was intimidated by the doctors, nurses, and patients. I was very nervous entering those first patients’ rooms. However, after only a few weeks, I felt as though I had a purpose in the ED and was confidently interacting with the patients. I started feeling comfortable conversing with the patients about their needs and ways that I could help them. Each day I saw 40-60 patients in the ED, and each interaction was unique. I had a lot of practice with bedside manner, I feel as though the differences between my first and last day were like night and day. Throughout these experiences, my bedside manner and patient interaction skills have transformed completely.

 

My STEP Signature Project also solidified my confidence in tackling issues in diversity. Prior to my STEP Project, I thought I was comfortable with diversity. I grew up in a diverse neighborhood. Ohio State is a large university in a large city, which both bring diversity to my college experience. While I may have thought I was open-minded and prepared, I knew that my STEP Project would challenge me and open my eyes to more than I could imagine. MetroHealth Hospital is located near downtown Cleveland and is Cuyahoga County’s public hospital system, which leads to a unique patient population. Through the patients I interacted with, I witnessed the firsthand effects of addiction, violent crime, and homelessness. Some days, there seemed to be more police officers than doctors in the Emergency Department. I learned that illness affects everyone and how I could make a small difference for the patients. I might not be able to help that a patient will return to a homeless shelter when she’s discharged, but I can give her shampoo and other toiletries to take with her. The diverse patient population that I experienced throughout my STEP Project broadened my world view and made me more aware of and accepting of diversity.

 

The Emergency Department at MetroHealth is the city’s primary trauma center, and summer is peak trauma season. This creates a high-stress, high-intensity environment, and going into my STEP Signature Project I knew that I would be challenged by this fast-paced environment. As a volunteer, I was allowed to observe any traumas that came into the ED. Many days, this was a highlight for me, a learning experience that I couldn’t get anywhere else. However, these situations were very serious and intense. I saw limbs bent in ways they shouldn’t, blood spattering busy teams of doctors, pharmacists yelling, police asking patients for details mid-treatment, and more. These situations were very intense to observe, but I quickly learned not to be overwhelmed.  The medical teams on these cases were highly trained and knowledgeable, and I instead tried to learn from how they handled each patient situation. I took this with me into the busy ED, which sometimes had every bed full, plus patients in the hallways. I realized that in the emergency room a nonstop stream of people with an endless number of diseases, some simple and some complex. As I experienced more traumas and more busy days, I became more comfortable with the chaos that is necessary and normal for the emergency department environment.

 

Some of the most meaningful interactions I had were in the cancer treatment area. I rounded on a fairly small number of patients per day, and I would often see the same patients routinely. The patients and I began to form connections, and we would talk about anything from my schooling to their perspectives on their disease. I learned to empathize with the patients and comfort them in the small ways that I could, whether it be a bowl of soup, a magazine, or a smile. However, I also saw a glimpse of the horrible parts of disease. From the side effects of chemotherapy to the worry on family members’ faces as their loved ones got sicker, I realized the intensity of having cancer. Everyone knows that cancer is awful, but this experience opened my eyes to a deeper understanding of what patients go through. What impacted me most was the patients’ kindness and positivity in the face of such a horrible disease. I felt this positivity was fueled by the outpouring of support I witnessed by the nurses, family members, and fellow patients. These experiences taught me a lot about how to empathize, as well as inspired me and strengthened my interest in working in oncology.

 

This transformation and the experiences I have had through my STEP Project are invaluable as I work toward my professional goals of attending medical school. The patient interactions I had, and the diversity of those interactions, will help me build a foundation for skills I will utilize daily as a medical doctor. When I was in a busy Emergency Department, I regularly saw dozens of sick patients, all in different stages of illness severity. The skills in empathizing that I learned from the cancer patients, I will carry into my career as a doctor, as empathy for your patients is one of the most important aspects of medicine. Each day of my STEP Signature Project, my motivation to become a physician was strengthened as I longed to be able to help the patients more than I could.

 

Volunteering at Grandview Hospital

  1. Mondays I worked in short stay surgery where I would help clean rooms when patients left, put together paperwork and ask patients and family if they need anything. In the afternoon on Mondays I worked at the information desk, where I would give directions and help family find patients. Tuesdays I worked in the cardiac unit and emergency department where I cleaned rooms, stocked, and provided patients with basic needs such as water or blankets.

 

  1. Starting out I wanted to get experience in a hospital even if I’m not working with patients. I just wanted to visualize how people work together and how a hospital functioned. I ended up with so much more. Working at the information desk allowed me to work on communication skills with many types of people and emotions. Short stay surgery, cardiac, and emergency units gave me the opportunity to work with patients and help people at a low in their lives which I will continue to treasure this experience. These three areas also gave me an appreciation for the everyone else who works in the hospital that isn’t a doctor. The hospital can function unless people do the dirty jobs like cleaning beds after a trauma or the people that do laundry.

 

This further instilled the belief that everyone deserves respect no matter what they do for a living. I see myself giving people the benefit of the doubt in stressful situations. At the information desk, I got snapped at a lot, but I realize that they are scared and worried about loved ones in the hospital. I carry this with me in the world, you never know what someone is going through. Working with patients, you get all kinds of people that come in. It gave me a chance to work with many different backgrounds and personalities. It made me realize cultures are very different and what the patient may do isn’t intentionally disrespectful but is along the lines of their culture.

 

  1. In Dayton this summer, people of all backgrounds were affected in multiple ways. When the tornados hit, communities were destroyed, and many people came in hurt or just searching for resources. It threw everything I thought I knew about people out the door. Everyone is trying to survive no matter where they come from or look like. Some of the wealthiest people I know were in trouble as well as the less fortunate. This put into perspective that everyone deserves to be respected and helped no matter how they look or where they came from, especially in a time of need.

I worked with many different people. There were many times this summer where nurses and doctors had attitudes, blatantly ignored their coworkers, and openly made fun of patients and their coworkers. While a lot of the times I was treated like this, I always maintained a good work ethic and manners. While some of the times it was just the person’s personality, a lot of the times they were stressed out and working hard because they were understaffed, or others had brought them down. If I took time out of my day to be nice or smile at them, you would instantly see their attitude change and work better with patients.

The final event that happened when working at the hospital was the Dayton mass shooting. I came to the hospital a day after the shooting. It was absolute chaos, but it taught me patients and truly taught me how to work with people in distress. Many families came in looking for family that had been shot or had other injuries. Scared and afraid, they came up to me lost or not knowing what to say. I had to work with them slowly to help them and allow them to process their feelings without triggering them.

 

  1. This experience changed me for the better. The transformation from the beginning of the summer to the end of the summer is exponential. I continued to change and grow throughout the whole project. I allow myself to be patient and take a step back when people are having a bad day and take it out on me. I refuse to take out my stress on others and realize how important it is for me to take a step back and figure myself out before I bring someone else down or let it affect my academics.

 

For my future, it prepared me for working with patients and how I will interact with them for different situations. I feel better equipped for when I get a job in the hospital. I have the experience to handle people in times of crisis and emergency. I also value the experience to work with multiple people in the hospital from a certified nurse assistant to a surgeon to the mail man. I hope to continue to create relationships with people of all careers.

Working At a Girl Scout Camp

My STEP project entailed working at a local Girl Scout camp that I had attended throughout my childhood and improving some of the program areas that needed upkeep. In addition to performing the duties I was responsible for as a counselor, I was also able to improve the archery and backpacking program areas to give the girls a better experience.

Through participating in this STEP Project, I grew and transformed as a person. Throughout training, I learned many new skills, as well as improved the ones I already have. We were trained on how to work with children with disabilities, and how to recognize common reasons why children may misbehave. Besides recieving training on topics such as emergency protocol, we also participated in activities geared towards improving our communication and leadership skills. Once training was over, I felt somewhat nervous for when the girls would arrive, but I knew that the training would be a great foundation for what was to come.

Once sessions started, the five weeks flew by in a blur. In that time, I gained a tremendous amount of hands on experience working with children. My units ranged from girls aged 7-15, and I learned first-hand how different age groups behave, and how I needed to treat them differently. In addition to working with a variety of different age groups, I also worked with some children with disabilities. I had a unit with a girl who had Asperger’s, which proved to be a completely new experience as I learned how to work and communicate with her. There are also girls at camp who come up with different backgrounds, from wealthier families to those relying on a local mission. Working with such a diverse group of children is an eye-opening experience, which I would not have had the opportunity to work with otherwise.

The experience of working with these girls have further solidified my belief that I enjoy working with children. The friendships formed with the girls over the week I was able to work with them were absolutely phenomenal, and reminds me how big of an impact us, counselors, can have even in that short of a time period. I find seeing how the girls have changed over the week amazing, and according to parent surveys sent home, these changes persist even after they leave camp. The mother of the girl with Asperger’s that I worked with also works at camp, and afterward she talked to me about how much her daughter loved working with her staff and thanked us for being accommodating to her daughter’s needs.

The experience has also made me realize that I particularly find working with children with disabilities fulfilling.  This change has important implications for my life, academically and professionally. Learning this about myself has made me start looking into how I could help children with disabilities outside of the camp environment, and what jobs are specifically geared towards that field.

Besides being transformative academically and professionally, this experience had a huge impact personally. As mentioned above, I attended this camp throughout my childhood, and am glad to be able to give back to this camp. As a child, I looked up to my staff, and hope that I am able to be as good a role model as my counselors were to me.

 

(Please note that per camp policy, I am not allowed to share pictures with campers faces)