Crowds gathered on June 22nd to celebrate the latest Stepping Up graduation class at Women & Infants Hospital. A group of seven students from Dorcas Place completed internships through Stepping Up; one interned at Rhode Island Hospital and six interned at Women & Infants Hospital. Connie Howes, President of Women & Infants Hospital, began the celebration by greeting graduates and sharing her personal reflections about entering a new workforce.

Pictured above, from left to right are graduates Iris Medina, Sue Aquilante, Lydia Thom-Gomes, Women & Infants President Connie Howes, Nancy Menoche, David Spriggs, Yrena Pimentel, and Erica Colon. Each graduate spoke of their training and internship experience. Iris Medina shared the following story about her internship in Food & Nutrition Services at Women & Infants Hospital: "The first day of my internship I stood at the door [of the kitchen] and I said to myself, 'Is this a place that I really want to be?' I felt like I was not part of the area, but a few days went by and I felt like everybody was part of my family." Iris impressed her managers so much that shortly thereafter, she was hired as a salad maker at Women & Infants Hospital!

Students met for weekly Job Clubs with Stepping Up throughout their internships, where they learned effective job search methods, business writing, interview skills, etc. David Spriggs entertained the audience at the graduation with his comments about Job Club: "[Stepping Up] taught me what not to do when trying to gain employment. Too late; I'm afraid I had done all the things on the list. Then they showed me what I should do, which I am doing now." Shortly after graduation, David interviewed for two C.N.A. jobs at Rhode Island Hospital and was offered a position!

Graduation concluded with special recognition of managers at Women & Infants who have supported the program for over a year: Karen Henning, John Lander, Donna DeCiccio-Loranger, Christen VanScyoc, Susan Fair and Jean Salera-Vieira. The support of managers is integral to the success of our participants, and Stepping Up is grateful for their continued commitment to the program.

All of the graduates performed magnificently and are great ambassadors of what it means to "step up" by going above and beyond. Congratulations to the newest class of graduates!

Stepping Up's Mentoring program is currently beginning a new round of mentor-mentee matches, which will run from August - January. A mentor is paired with a mentee for six months. At the completion of the cycle, the mentor and mentee may elect to continue working with each other to follow up on the advancements achieved during the initial six months or to work with new mentees and mentors respectively.

Six new mentors joined the program for the cycle that began in January 2009. The cornerstone of the program is connecting mentees with their interest area in high-growth, high-demand careers, by matching them with mentors who work in their field of interest.

In addition, consistent meetings ensure that the self- efficacy of the mentee is initiated. The Mentoring program ultimately instills excitement and increased motivation for a mentee to advance into their career of choice. The road to career advancement can be long and arduous, but with the immense support provided by the mentors it is a road that may be traversed with greater ease and self-confidence.

The Mentoring program also includes job shadow days and informational interviews. These are essential components that allow prospective mentors and mentees to get to know each other a little more before actually committing to the full six month cycle.

Carmen Sousa, a Secretary at Rhode Island Hospital's Interpreter Services department, enrolled in Stepping Up's Mentoring program in January 2009. Her career goal is to advance within the hospital administration. She was matched with mentor Cynthia Ring, who is the Director of Human Resources at Rhode Island Hospital. After their first meeting, Carmen wrote the following to her Career Advisor: "What an experience!!!!!!!!!! I believe the meeting went very well. We talked for about 2 hours. In one word: Empowering! It was great to meet with Cynthia. It gave me a better image of management and assured me that I am on the right track."

In the year and a half that the Mentoring program has been in effect, there has been strong desire by most of the mentors to return for another cycle or assist the program in other ways. Stepping Up looks forward to advancing the program to new heights in the near future. Participants interested in getting involved with the Mentoring program should email Career Advisor Naveed Irshad at nirshad@steppingupri.org.

Stepping Up students don't take a break from their academic and career goals over the summer. In conjunction with CCRI, Stepping Up is offering four classes this summer in the subjects of reading, math, English, and Dosage & Calculations. Classes are held conveniently on Women & Infants' and Rhode Island Hospital campuses, and are free of charge to Stepping Up participants.

Vanna Thlang, a Hemophilia Assistant at Rhode Island Hospital and new Stepping Up participant commented on her first class experience in the English 0890 course:

"I never knew about Stepping Up services, I wish I knew about it the day it started. It's a wonderful service for someone like me to finally get back to school. I never thought I would actually be able to start taking a class so soon. I have a lot of children and working by myself full time, it's just so hard to manage to take a class. But Stepping Up's services make it possible for me. I just completed my English class with a B for my final grade. I'm so happy because of the convenient time and location that I can continue with my education. The instructor was wonderful and understanding. I wish this program will never end. By the way, the Stepping Up coordinator is extremely phenomenal in providing the resource. I would like to close by expressing great gratitude for having such a great service available for me."

Lori Delmonico, a Women and Infants' PACU and Diagnostic Imaging employee, commented on her experience with Stepping Up's classes:

"Stepping Up classes are the best classes I have ever taken... With other employees taking classes with you it alleviates a lot of stress especially when you've been out of school for a long time. It is nice to have someone you know or even a few people you know in your class. The Stepping Up classes create a more relaxing atmosphere. The College Career Advisor is always there at the start of class, which gives you a feeling of comfort. The support is absolutely incredibly strong! I have taken a few classes at CCRI and I can tell you there is a huge difference. I really appreciate all the support from Stepping Up. I don't want these classes to end because it has been so enjoyable for me!! I look forward to many more classes!"

Students have shown dedication to their goals with excellent attendance and high performance in the classes this summer. Although the beach may be calling, Stepping Up students are continuing their courses and working hard toward their dream careers.

Offering free, convenient, and private tutoring is an essential component to Stepping Up's services. Between May of 2008 and May 2009, the Stepping Up tutoring program provided over 465 hours of tutoring to participants enrolled in college classes. Here is what Jeanine Turner, a Women and Infants' employee in the Pathology department says about her experience in working with a Stepping Up tutor:

"I felt my tutor was truly a Godsend to me, my angel. I would sit in my Algebra class lost and confused, however, once I met with him for tutoring I would 'see the light.' He explains it in a way that makes me understand. I enjoyed working with him and I'm looking forward to working with him again!"

The program has offered tutoring in the subjects of basic math, algebra, anatomy, physiology, microbiology, English, reading, and psychology. Tutoring sessions are held on the Women & Infants' and Rhode Island Hospital campuses at times that are accommodating to participants' work schedules. Stepping Up participants interested in working with a tutor should contact College Career Advisor Darcy Holoweski at dholoweski@steppingupri.org.

For the fall 2009 semester, Stepping Up will be offering four college classes to our participants, in conjunction with CCRI. The class schedule is as follows:

Psychology 2010: General Psychology
Monday evenings 5:15-7:45 pm
Sept. 14th - Dec. 21st

English 1010: English Composition I
Tuesday evenings 5:15 pm - 7:45 pm
Sept. 8th - Dec. 15th

Math 1700: Algebra for Technology
Wednesday evenings 5:00 - 8:00 pm
Sept. 9th - Dec. 16th

Math 0600: Elementary Algebra
Thursday evenings 5:15 - 7:45 pm
Sept. 10th - Dec. 17th

Classes are offered conveniently on the Women & Infants' and Rhode Island Hospital campuses and are free of charge to Stepping Up participants. For more information, contact College Career Advisor Darcy Holoweski at dholoweski@steppingupri.org.

Stepping Up is pleased to welcome Elkinsette Clinton to our staff. Elkinsette began working with Stepping Up in June as a Youth Career Advisor. Her focus is on recruiting, advising, and facilitating training and education opportunities for incumbent and community participants between the ages of 18 and 24. Elkinsette brings a high level of qualifications, enthusiasm and a fresh perspective to Stepping Up. Below, she writes about her new role and the experiences that have shaped her work:

"I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to join the Stepping Up team as a Youth Career Advisor. I am looking forward to working with the youth participants and creating a program that inspires and encourages young people to pursue careers in health care. The great thing about my position is that I get to fulfill two of my passions, which are working with young people and assisting them in exploring educational opportunities. Stepping Up has partnered with Workforce Solutions of Providence/Cranston to provide additional services for youth that qualify. They are able to receive GED assistance, tutoring, access to Pharmacy Tech training programs, job skills development and much more.

"For the last six years I worked for a program called Providence Summerbridge, which was an academic enrichment program for 7th and 8th graders. One of the main goals of the program was to encourage middle schoolers to advocate for themselves when it came to their education. They were taught to strive for excellence. I hope to instill in the Stepping Up youth the same principle, which is, you always put your best foot forward and never back down from a challenge even though it may seem difficult to overcome. I hope that I can bring the Youth Program to a place where it has a strong foundation and open doors for young people that want to make a difference in their lives and those of others."

In June, Stepping Up welcomed Taisha Torres to our staff to work as an intern throughout the summer. Taisha has been involved with many aspects of our program and we have truly appreciated the work she has contributed to Stepping Up. She has written the following about her background and experience:

"Hello everyone, my name is Taisha Torres and I am interning with Stepping Up this summer. I am part of the Summer Youth Employment Program at Rhode Island Hospital. I am currently entering my sophomore year at Rhode Island College and pursuing my interest in Psychology. My ultimate goal is to help people in need of guidance. That's why Stepping Up has been a perfect match for me. It has been a wonderful experience to work with Stepping Up and being part of the work they do. I have been having a great time this summer and have had many learning experiences.

"Thanks Stepping Up!"

Stepping Up News is published quarterly by Stepping Up,
a program of the UNAP/RI Hospital Health Care Education Trust.

375 Branch Avenue
Providence, RI 02904
401.831.3647

Director
Aime Brissette
abrissette@steppingupri.org

Career Advisors
Darcy Holoweski
dholoweski@steppingupri.org

Naveed Irshad
nirshad@steppingupri.org

Alaina Johnson
ajohnson@steppingupri.org

Elkinsette Clinton
eclinton@steppingupri.org

Program Assistant
Katherine Gendreau
kgendreau@steppingupri.org