Back to school!

A couple of weeks ago, BIDMC hosted a farewell breakfast for the 34 young people who worked here this year as paid summer interns. They were referred to us by the Boston Public Schools, ABCD Parker Hill, the GOTCHA Program in the Bowdoin Street Area, and Brookline Connections for youth.

We had a great summer and a wonderful breakfast celebration. Each intern was asked to speak about his or her experiences this summer. One of the interns, Taliah, worked in my office this summer. Here are some excerpts from her essay, and you can see her above speaking at the farewell breakfast. These internships are less important for the specific projects on which the students work than to give them exposure to the professional work environment and some mentoring along the way.

Hi my name is Taliah. This summer I worked as an intern at The Office of The President. I enjoyed every second that I worked. I met a lot of new, exciting people who have helped me a lot as a person and a student. I worked on a few projects during my time at BIDMC such as I organized all of the files in the office, I organized the supply closet, and I worked on updating the Board Member Handbook for FY2009, and in the Development Office, I worked with on several different projects.

I am very grateful for this position, it exposed me to a little bit of the business part of running a hospital. I’ve seen the meetings and the people that both Paul Levy (President) and Eric Buehrens (Chief Operating Officer) go to and meet with to keep the hospital running smoothly.

I have met a lot of wonderful people while working at the hospital and I have learned a lot from them. Gail Serra is the coolest. She is Paul Levy’s Executive Assistant and she helped me choose my college essay topic and has helped me with preparations for my senior year in high school. Mary Chan has helped me get ready for my senior year also. Stephanie Huang has introduced me to a lot of people who work and are associated with the President’s Office and Development Office. She has also helped me with college scholarships and tips on college. They have all given me words of encouragement and guidance to help me on my path to college. I want to thank everyone who has made my experience a great one.