Front
Page
Budget Cuts
Senior Professional Day
Students pay for IDs
Student Government
PM School enrollment grows
Students resolve conflict thru peer
mediation
PSAT scholarships
College Fair
Charging for ID's
HSTAT & Pupilpath
Seniors
College Expenses
Senior
Activities
Clubs
Red Cross club
Amnesty Int'l Club
Audio Visual Club
Breakthrough
B'Way shows free
The Japanese Club
Sports
Handball Team
Volleyball Team
Yankee Parade
United Soccer team
Nauman
returns...
Health
Blood Drive
Health Risks in piercings
Teen Drug abuse
H1N1 vaccines
Wicca
History of Facebook
Work study program
Mind the Gap
How to SAT
How to make sushi
Thanksgiving
Being an uncle again
Black Friday Sales
Quality of Life
My experience with the Intergenerational Work Study program
By Maria Justiniano
The school day began at the High School of Telecommunication Arts and Technology. I had no idea that my after school life would change forever. I was in my work skills class with Mr. Everett when he told me Ms. Sce had been looking for the day before.
While I was doing my work Ms. Sce came in and asked if she could talk to me in the hallway. As I stepped out of class I wondered, “What did I do to get pulled out of class?” While walking down the hall Ms. Sce asked me, “Would you be interested in working at a finance office at Lutheran Augustana Rehabilitation Center?” Without asking questions and thinking I quickly said yes. I was about to have a job. When we got to the end of the hallway we went inside Ms. Sce’s office so that I could fill out some forms.
Once I finished filling out the forms I thought that I had finally got the job but I wasn’t finished. Ms. Sce gave me the address to the hospital so that I could go on an interview with the director of the volunteer program. An interview? I had never done an interview for a job before. I was nervous like crazy. I desperately hoped that I was going to do well in the interview because it would let the director know if I was good for the job.
The day of the interview was calm and relaxing. I did not stress that I had a very important interview that day. When school was over I went straight to the nursing home for my interview. As I went in I noticed how beautiful it was inside. When I went to the secretary to ask for the director of the program, she told me to have a seat and that he would be with me shortly. I was starting to feel like a professional person in life.
As I waited I noticed all the people that were there were different in their own way. When I looked up I saw the director of the program talking to someone. I stood up and waited for him to finish so that that I can have my interview. When he was finished he saw me and came up to me and shook my hand and I introduced myself. My interview was about to begin. Mr. Dennis told me where I would be working and what I would be doing. The interview went more smoothly then I thought it was going to be.
Once the interview was over Mr. Dennis showed me the building in which I was going to be working. I was introduced to all the people that work in that department and I met my supervisor, the woman that I was going to be working for. Her name was Ms. Rose. When I shook her hand I thought, “Am I going to be a good volunteer?” That same day I started my training so that I could get used to the working environment. Ms. Rose put me on the computer to print out census sheets for each patient for my supervisor. I didn’t finish my task until three days later. There were so many forms to print out. But once I finished my first task I was put to file documents of the patients.
As weeks went by I learned how send faxes and to use the advance copy machine. Even though I learned how to fax papers I kept forgetting how to do it. I’m a fast learner but I just wasn’t good at faxing papers. Every time I was told to fax I would get nervous and not know what to do, so I would ask my co- worker Annie to help so that I could get the hang of it at least.
When the middle of the school year started to come around I started to dislike my job because it was getting boring. I was doing the same thing over and over again. I didn’t give up because I don’t quit that easily. I didn’t want to work anymore. Every time pay day came along I would have to travel to the city to pick up my pay check. I didn’t like to travel far for such a small pay check but I had no choice.
The name of the program is called Intergenerational Work Study Program. It’s a program where high school students to do community service while having an experience working with senior citizens at nursing homes. This was a great opportunity for me because I got to learn how to do things I didn’t know how to before which was great. I did not think I would be working in a place that was so welcoming. Even though I was bored at times but it was an experience of a lifetime. If I had another chance to work there again I would take that second chance.