This week was the same as always. I worked from 12-4 on Friday. I feel more comfortable than ever in the NICU. I recognize a lot of the nurses and I've memorized a lot of things like phone numbers by now. I only learned how to unlock the desk drawers with the keys I have a few weeks ago. Even after a few months, I'm still learning every shift.
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Because I missed two weeks in a row, I worked two shifts this week. I volunteered on Wednesday from 4-7 as well as my normal 12-4 shift on Friday. It was interesting for me to see the different crowd in the evening. The NICU lounge got very busy at some points, and was empty at other times, which probably had a lot to do with families eating dinner. Every now and then, kids who can’t visit their siblings because they are too young will stay in the lounge with me, either with or without another parent. On Wednesday, I got to know one of the dads and his six-year-old daughter. I learned that he was from the Phillipines, and that his daughter’s mother had passed away. They were with what I’m assuming was his second wife visiting their newborn in the NICU. On Friday, I spent some time with another six-year-old, and she told me that she’s the oldest of three kids, and that she had another younger sibling who had passed away. I was so sad to hear these stories, and they really inspired me to be thankful for my loved ones. This article about things that must stop happening in order for happiness to occur was very inspirational to me. I connected most with the last entry about procrastination. The way that the author talked about time being a bank account with only a limited amount of seconds really made me think about how I spend my own time and the different ways that I could make my time more useful. The hardest thing for me is making sure I have everything I need to do done for the day by the time I am ready to go to sleep. I often lose many hours just because I’ve pushed my obligations to the side until it’s almost too late to take care of them. I am often up late into the night and losing vital time to sleep because I don’t use my time efficiently. This week, it will be my goal to make sure I am more mindful of the way I utilize my time. Since this week was the pep rally, and it happened when I work, I couldn't go to my volunteer position this Friday, either. I wanted to go, but I was coaching powerbuff volleyball and I chose to stay and make up my shift another time. On Monday, I have to call the hospital and figure out when I can work to make up for the hours that I lost.
This week we had to make paper plate awards for our employers. Although I didn't make one for my employer since I don't know her that well, I helped my friend Lauren make her bosses one each, since she has two and I had none. I didn't go to my career field experience this week. I was sick and I didn't want to risk anything at the hospital, especially since I work in the NICU with the babies who have the highest chance of getting sick.
Here's my letter of appreciation to my employer. I don't really interact with her, so writing it was a little difficult at times, but definitely doable. I'm not really sure if she'll even have the chance to give me a sticky note back. She doesn't work on the days that I do, so it will be hard to get one back from her. This week was more of the same thing. It was pretty slow in the NICU; I think I only saw about 10 visitors come through the door of the lounge. However, there was a couple who came in and asked to make a donation to the NICU. They asked to leave it with me, but I called the nurse and the manager of the NICU ended up coming down to accept it from them. This display of generosity definitely brightened my day a little bit. Another highlight of the day for me: changing up what I ate for lunch. I usually use my lunch pass to get chicken tenders, but this week I got pulled pork and macaroni and cheese, and let me just say that it was a really great choice. Maybe I’ll try something new next week, too :) This week I chose the journal involving the article, “10 Simple Things You Can Do Today That Will Make You Happier”. One activity thing that stood out to me the most was 8: plan a trip - but don’t take one. As stated in the article, “the highest spike in happiness came during the planning stage of a vacation as employees enjoyed the sense of anticipation”. I found this very interesting and quite relevant in my life at the moment. I have been contemplating whether I should accept an invitation I received concerning a trip to Italy this summer to play softball and travel, and just the thought of taking this trip makes me so happy. Even thinking about a night with friends that I am excited for will instantly boost my mood. I can definitely see how planning a vacation could significantly increase a person’s happiness. If I could add another happiness-boosting thing to the list, I would say to spend time creating. Whether it is through visual art, music, knitting, writing, etc., I feel that expressing one’s self in a creative and productive way can be a very therapeutic and relaxing experience, and I personally find this a very effective way to improve my mood. This week was a pretty slow one for the NICU. I didn’t have too many visitors come through, but I did get one family with three kids who came to visit. The kids must have all been under 7 years old, and the family was coming to visit newborn twins. Yup, five kids. The dad and kids all stayed in the lobby and waited around while the mom went to visit the babies. The kids were adorable! When I came back from lunch, the kids were playing while the dad was watching TV. The one boy, who was probably three or four years old, was especially interested in me. He kept waving and smiling from across the room, which made me smile as I waved back for about five minutes straight. Then, he decided to keep saying “hi!” to me and slowly got closer and closer to my desk until they had to leave, and the family joked about him being a big flirt. I waved goodbye and smiled because that little kid made my day. The TED talk “Everyday Leadership” opened my eyes to how much impact a simple moment could have on your view of the world and perspective on life. I try to provide “lollipop moments” for other people as often as possible. We may never know what little compliment or piece of advice may inspire something bigger in another person. I try my best to make the lives of others around me better, whether it be those of my closest friends or strangers I’ll never see again. A moment that really sticks out to me was on my senior night this volleyball season. The underclassmen got each senior a framed group picture and wrote little notes on the outside of the picture about us and our impact on them over the course of our time together. I cried reading the things that the younger girls wrote to me; they were things that validated my efforts to be a leader and role model and I was so proud of myself at that moment. To this day, I get teary-eyed just thinking about that picture because of how much it represents to me. I don’t think any of those girls will truly understand just how much they mean to me, and continue to inspire me to be a leader every day. When I find myself struggling to find a reason to keep working hard and putting in so much effort to what I do, this picture reminds me of just a few reasons why it's all worth it. This week was the same as the past weeks have been. I arrive and check in at the volunteer’s office. Then, I walk up to the fifth floor of the hospital and take my spot at the desk in the NICU family lounge. I usually have to switch spots with Camilla since she is the one who works before me. I take my lunch around 1:30-2:00 and get chicken tenders and strawberry milk from the cafeteria (which is really good, by the way). I go back to the lounge and switch places with Camilla again. She leaves around 3:30, and I put the binder I use back where it belongs around 4:00. Finally, I go back to the volunteer’s office to check out and grab my coat, and the day is complete. The article “The Moral Bucket List” from the New York Times was a very inspiring article that I connected with instantly; it articulated thoughts that I have had for a long time. I love the idea of defining “resume virtues” and “eulogy virtues” as separate. While the accolades and accomplishments that can be listed on a resume have impressive face value, it is the qualities that a person learns and practices in their interpersonal relationships that truly define their worth. A person with compassion, kindness in their heart, selflessness, and love will be a much more fulfilled individual than one with a lengthy list of superficial accomplishments. I have learned in my own experience that strangers, acquaintances, and bosses will be impressed with your achievements, which is great, as it always feels good to be appreciated for the hard work you do. However, earning the love of others cannot be achieved through awards and titles, and that is why the idea of eulogy virtues is so important. Without the intimate relationships formed between loved ones, life would fail to have a true purpose. The key to fulfilling this purpose is to become one of "those people". This week was the same as the first two weeks. I sat at the desk and opened the door for the visitors of the NICU. I’ve gotten a lot more comfortable in my position and I’m not as nervous I was when I started. I haven’t forgotten my badge, gotten lost, or anything like that since my first day, so things are going pretty well. I did find out that the girl who spends time in the family lounge, Camilla, is also a high school senior, which really surprised me. I assumed she was a college student doing an internship program, and the funny part is that she assumed I was older too! We both laughed about it and talked about college, senior year, and started getting to know each other more. Since I am a greeter for the family lounge in the NICU, I don’t really have much say in my work environment, and I wouldn’t really change much as I wouldn’t expect to stay in this position for long. It is almost always quiet and comfortable, and I find it easy to relax there. The only thing that I might change would be the way that the kitchen area is set up. I’ve heard some of the parents’ issues with it and I would do my best to create a more comfortable environment for them. Something I did love was that the lounge was decorated for Christmas! There was a beautifully decorated tree and I really loved the way it made the space feel more like home for these parents during a tough time. This week was my first week in my position volunteering at the hospital. I was on my way to the hospital, feeling anxious about how the next four hours would go, and I panicked as I realized I forgot one very crucial item: my badge, which is how I gain entry to parts of the hospital where only personnel are allowed, as well as a token of my status at the hospital. I considered going back to get it, but that would’ve made me very late, so I decided to keep going and see what would happen. I arrived, and took the elevator up to the fifth floor where the NICU was located, but I got a little lost on the way since I took a different elevator than before, and had to ask a doctor to guide me to where I would be working. She was so friendly, and was happy to hear that it was my first day volunteering, as many people in hospital were, and got me into the lounge with her badge, wishing me well. As the day went on, I learned about my duties from a young woman who was working before me named Camilla. She seemed to be a student, and sat working on her laptop in the lounge throughout my shift, giving me guidance when I wasn’t sure what to do. I couldn’t have made it through the day without her. I had to face failure throughout the day, as I’m sure is common for anyone on their first day of a job or task. Whether it was forgetting my badge, getting lost (both on the way up to my job and to and from lunch), or being unsure of myself as I allowed visitors into the NICU, failure was a theme of the day for me, but I’m glad it was. Failure has been one of the scariest things to me in the past. Perfection is something I’ve chased my whole life, and I’ve only recently started accepting that failure is inevitable, and that is completely okay. My family has put a huge amount of pressure on me, but it is because I have created expectations for myself that led them to do so. I’m sure they would be glad to hear about the failures of my first day, and be even more happy to hear how I overcame them. Without making the mistakes I did, I wouldn’t have gained as much experience or gained more confidence in the hospital, and I’m looking forward to going back next week.
Seek Momentum Article
At first glance, it seemed like just a typical field trip: my class would arrive in the morning at a company I had never heard of, spend the day listening to their spiel about the company and what they do, and drag through the day until we reached the mediocre lunch, signaling the end of the excursion. I was more than happy to be proven wrong. At the end of the day, I left with much more than a vague recollection of presentations. Instead, I had a framework for the layout of my website, a better understanding of coding, and a new appreciation for web design as a profession, all things I’d consider far from typical of a field trip. On an early September morning, my four advanced classmates, teacher Mrs. Tasha Candela, and I arrived at Seek Momentum, a local web design company based in Clinton Township. We all entered the small office building, unsure of the agenda for the coming hours. We were greeted by the welcoming and casual staff, led by Jimi Plouffe, the CEO of the company. After walking through a single room of small cubicles, we settled in in a conference room with several laptops and a large monitor on the wall. Everyone took their seats, along with name tags and complimentary donuts and cider, and the day began. Plouffe introduced himself and his team, and gave us all a quick description of what Seek Momentum is all about. Starting off as a small team of Jimi and about four others based in metro Detroit, Momentum has grown significantly over the past few years, increasing their clientele to over 100 companies and causes, such as the Detroit Free Press Marathon and Trinity Transportation. I was unaware of the company before the field trip, despite having lived across the street from its office for almost a year. Momentum’s workspace and staff exude a laid-back attitude, yet also a passion for being on the forefront of web design. Our next topic of discussion was the Michigan Council of Women in Technology’s annual web design competition and its requirements, the whole purpose behind our trip. Since the five of us would be competing in the advanced category, Mrs. Candela procured this opportunity specifically for my classmates and I so we could have a better shot at the coveted 12 finalist positions. She wanted us to learn more about coding, give us a better chance at succeeding in the competition, and how what we learned in class could translate directly into a career. I was surprised when I realized how similar some their daily tasks were to ours in the classroom. The web designers at Momentum began teaching us the basics of setting up a website layout. In the next few hours, the team helped us create our layouts, mine including a navigation bar at the top, dual columns for the body content, and a footer. The vision I had for my website came to life in a matter of hours, forming the framework I would build off of for the next two months. My classmates and I had the opportunity to ask questions about anything from our codes to designing websites for a career, and time flew by. Taking a trip to a professional web design company to help you do well in a competition is not a regular occurrence as a high schooler. I truly believe that, by learning new codes and having the opportunity to ask questions through this experience, we all gained an invaluable amount of knowledge. The maximum of three girls placed from my school, including myself, and our trip to Seek Momentum was a crucial step in the process of reaching this goal. I want to personally thank them for allowing me to make the ideas I had envisioned a reality, and for giving me the confidence I needed to complete this strenuous journey. Jimi and the rest of the Seek Momentum crew have definitely impacted my perspective of web design and the technology career field, leaving me more and more intrigued by our ever-changing, tech-filled world. |
Natalie S.I am a senior at Lake Shore High School and I go to Macomb Community College through the Early College program. I play volleyball, basketball, and softball, and I will play softball at Hillsdale College next year. Archives
May 2017
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