Students gain experience, perspective through mayor’s internships
By Lin Lofley
The Mayor’s Intern Fellows Program brought 44 Dallas-area high school students to campus over the summer, exposing the teens to UT Southwestern Medical Center, to health care as a career option, and to professional work settings.
Conducted in partnership with Education is Freedom (EIF), a local nonprofit organization, and championed by Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings, the Mayor’s Intern Fellows Program has provided summer jobs for more than 11,000 underserved students who attend Dallas Independent School District (DISD) schools and local charter schools over its 14-year history. EIF annually provides college-entry preparation, mentoring, tutoring, and real-world opportunities at some of the largest Dallas-area companies and institutions, including UT Southwestern.
“I had a great experience,” said Tatyana Brown, a junior at the DISD’s School for the Talented and Gifted at the Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Magnet Center, commonly known as TAG. “It seemed as if we were doing something different every day, from handling the mail, to helping prepare the office each day for the incoming patients.
“We got to shadow a transplant surgeon in his rounds, and it was inspiring to see how a physician works to develop a relationship with a patient.”
Ms. Brown, who came to work with a mindset that someday she’ll be a surgeon, but left with even more possibilities for her future, cited Thomas Lee and his colleagues who drive the shuttles that connects the Professional Office Buildings to the Williams P. Clements University Hospital and the Paul M. Bass Administrative and Clinical Center.
“Mr. Lee and all the drivers with really took us under their wings,” said Ms. Brown.
Asked about her future plans, Ms. Brown said “I’ve always been set on medicine as a career, but now I have an interest in biotechnology and orthotics.” New York University, Dartmouth, Georgetown, and a number of California schools are on her radar, and working at UT Southwestern gave her the opportunity to talk with medical students who offered advice on how to proceed toward her goal.
Charlotte Williams, Manager, Community Recruitment Initiatives and Intern Program Coordinator, said, “We have more than doubled our number of interns since we became a part of the program five years ago, and we hope to continue to provide this opportunity. UT Southwestern is a learning environment for all of us, and the opportunity to spend a summer here is priceless for these students.”
Ms. Williams also offered special thanks to DeWotta Gossett, Senior Recruiter in the Office of Human Resources, for her contribution to the program, and her mentorship of the interns.
The students were selected based on grade-point averages, personal statements of interest, and solid school attendance records. Within each 20- or 40-hour work week, they received hands-on experience in an area of their interest, tips on succeeding in the workplace, and mentoring from UT Southwestern health professionals and executives.
The students who served 2016 internships, and their assigned workplaces on campus, were:
Teresa Acosta, Radiology; Anaka Adams, Information Resources; Stephanie Aguilar, Office of Internal Audit; Nathaniel Barrett Jr., Information Resources; Tatyana Brown, Transplant Services; Garyetta Cooks, Sponsored Programs Administration; Sandra Roldan DelaTorre, Mail Room; Oscar Diaz, Transport Department; Anahi Esparza, Human Resources; Bruno Garcia, Communications, Marketing, and Public Affairs; Wendy Garcia-Ramirez, Radiation Oncology.
Sundai Gibson, Human Resources; Carolina Gorostieta, Accounting; Kendrick Henson, Central Sterile Processing; Sarai Hernandez, Transplant Services; KaBreyia Jones, Sponsored Programs Administration; Regina Juarez, Office of Research Administration; Nikalas Lampkin, Nutrition Services; Rodnee Land, Transport Department; Diana Macias, Sponsored Programs Administration; Adeline Monaghan, Office of the Executive Vice President; Collins Mokua, Ambulatory Services.
Sergio Morgado, Nutrition Services; Caterra Morgan, Office of the Dean – Graduate School; Vy Nguyen, Patient Surgical Supply; David Nweke, Human Resources; Nithin Panchakarla, Human Resources; Jacaranda Peralta, Internal Medicine; Valerie Perez, Nutrition Services; Tiarra Poole, Human Resources; Ajay Raja, Office of Accounting; Ivan Rojas, Environmental Services; Jada Ross, Human Resources; Jair Reyes, Patient Surgical Supply; Michelle Saucedo, Office of the Dean – Medical School.
Shreya Saha, Office of Diversity & Inclusion and Equal Opportunity; Mark Silva, Sponsored Programs Administration; Alexis Stephens, Nutrition Services; Julianna Sweeney, Human Resources; Sasha Thomas, Human Resources; Mason Williams, Office of the Vice President for Development.
