CARINA MONTROND-SILVEIRA

I knew it was a great way to manage my time, be social, but also learn discipline. This is when my days got even longer. Besides getting up early, I was now getting home late and still had to manage finishing my homework and studying for any tests/quizzes. Varsity Soccer continued through Senior Year. I also did Varsity Basketball Cheerleading my Junior and Senior Year.

I was never the best student academically. Although I had the smarts, I did not apply myself like I should have, looking back. I graduated from Bedford High School, in the Spring of 2012, with a 2.5 GPA. Fall of 2012, I began my Undergraduate studies at Suffolk University in Downtown Boston. My Major was Sociology with a Concentration in Criminal Justice and I Minored in Business Law. College was a completely new world for me. I was now responsible for all of my academia, with no guidance. Mom knew nothing about college. I failed two of my four courses in my first semester, leaving me with a 1.2 GPA. The next two semesters I was placed on academic probation, only taking 3 classes each semester. I fell behind an entire semester and spent the rest of my college career making it up with Summer/Winter classes all while working full-time in retail. I can proudly say I graduated, within 4 years, in the Spring of 2016 with a 3.0 GPA. It was tough, but I pushed myself.

After graduating, it was not easy for me to find a job in my field having no experience. Going to school full-time, making up for failed classes, and working full-time did not allow me to have time for an internship. Summer of 2016, I was informed of a great program at Boston Children’s Hospital,  that allowed new employees to get 3 weeks of extensive soft and hard skills training and then 3 months of floating to different departments, wherever needed, at the front desk. I started this program in September 2016. The program was under the hospital’s Epic team and that is when I knew what I wanted to do, work on the Epic team. Three months later, I applied for a permanent position in the Dental Department working at the front desk. After 6 months, I transitioned to a Treatment Coordinator role, still within Dental. I stayed in that role for a year before joining the Epic team as an Analyst. Since then, I have received four Epic Certifications, Cadence, Welcome, MyChart, and Prelude. Seven years being at Boston Children’s Hospital, the number 1 Children’s Hospital 8 years in a row, I absolutely love what I do. Although I went to school for Sociology and did not go into that field at all, I am now in Information Technology (IT).  I have transitioned out of this role and joined our Implementation Team as the lead Welcome Analyst, helping make Hospital-wide decisions for the new Electronic Health Record system and doing the build.

I can honestly say that being in the METCO Program and having attended Bedford Public Schools has helped me to be where I am today. I learned so much, not only academically, but I learned important life skills that I continue to use to this day. I may not be able to say that I still have a best or close friend from Bedford, but I have many memories I can look back on. Remember, this is only the beginning of your life. Enjoy it, love it, learn from it, and do the best you can do! The sky’s the limit!