Nearly three years ago, Leticia, 24, driven by an interest of a prospective career in medicine, applied to become a volunteer at University of Colorado Hospital to get a taste for what that work environment would be like. She started out in the ER but craving more hands-on interaction with patients, applied for a position in the Newborn Hearing Screening program. She quickly fell in love with screening the babies. She shares, "...when I walk into the patient's room, they trust me with their baby and I love that direct interaction and hands-on work." Leticia is finishing up her undergraduate degree at CU Denver where she will earn several degrees in Biology, Spanish, and Chemistry.

Knowing her two younger sisters were looking for a fulfilling work experience, Leticia recruited them to become volunteers as well. Cristal,19, also thinking about a career in medicine, joined the program two years ago. Soon after she started volunteering, Cristal realized the optimal time to test the babies was while they were in a drowsy state following a feeding or during the night. So in her effort to increase the number of babies successfully tested, she decided to start coming in on Saturday mornings at 3am. "The babies are usually pretty sleepy and easy to test around this time because it the middle of the night, the hospital is quieter, and they've usually just finished eating," she says. This experience has inspired Cristal to consider pursuing a career as an Audiologist.  She is currently a Nursing Major at Metro State and in May, will transfer to Mesa State to complete her degree. 

Following in her two older sister's footsteps, Rosemary, 18, started her volunteer work in the Newborn Hearing Screening program just four months ago. "It is a lot of fun, but sometimes I get nervous because the babies are so tiny!" she exclaims. Rosemary enjoys working with the nurses and always feels appreciated and respected when working with the babies. She is currently a freshman at Metro State as an undeclared major trying to decide between the Business and Pre-Med degree programs. Rosemary, a skilled soccer player, is trying out for her school's soccer team later this month, hoping to earn a spot on their team.