PLACE Testimonials

PLACE Student Testimonials and Experiences

"I met with a group of social workers who deal with the families that are grieving after a patient passes and they talked with me about how they deal with different situations. I learned that every patient and their family is different for the assistance they want during the grieving process. They explained that some people want to go to therapy and have phone calls regularly and some people don’t want to be contacted at all. This is the same concept for patients. Certain things will work for some patients, but others won’t like it, so you have to be willing to adapt to your patients needs as a nurse. I also learned a lot from the other Nurse Practitioner I spoke with this week and hearing her story made me excited about starting my journey as a nurse." Hannah Solimano, RHS Class of 2022, PLACE remote nursing intern with Martha Perantoni, Bayada Home Health Care

"I definitely have to say that my mentor inspires me the most at my internship. She is super confident in her training skills, is never shy and extremely nice around everyone. I also admire her skill at being able to explain certain training concepts to me and her clients to make sure we understand how to train the dog, and the reasoning behind the techniques. I definitely think that she is a great source of information for dog training and if I was able to, I would like to spend more time working with her and learning from her because in the short amount of hours that I have, I have already learned so much." Rachel Moody, RHS Class of 2022, PLACE intern with Katey Brennan, The Dog Wizard

"If this class didn’t exist there would be much less school to community involvement. It is very important for students to get out into their community and see what kind of jobs are out there. This can help encourage students to stay in their community for jobs. I was part of a meeting with the Rutland Rotary Club. I explained to them what I had done in class and what I had done in my internship. They thought it was amazing. I think because of this more opportunities for internship locations will open up because they see how beneficial it can be to the community and the student. One skill that I was able to learn and become very familiar with was working with Excel spreadsheets. I had never worked with Microsoft before. It was interesting to see what the differences and similarities were from google slides. By the end of my internship I was able to navigate through every part of Excel." Philip Mahar, RHS Class of 2022, PLACE intern with Jim Rotondo, Rutland City Engineer

"Between hiking the entire outline of a new wildlife management area to lifting and aging deer on opening weekend, I was able to help the community out. By going out into the woods to mark the perimeter of the new land they got, I was able to help Joel’s co-workers who would have had to go if I didn't, as well as the next-door land owners, and we saved them the hassle of having to go out and try and figure out where their property ends and where ours starts. Not only was I helping the community I was also helping out the people who worked at Fish & Wildlife. Of course I was helping Joel, but I was also helping Gabrielle, and Travis, Nich, and Shawn--all workers in the office. I was also fortunate enough to talk to a Game Warden, and by taking pictures of people's hunting licence if something was off I was able to help Abigail out as well, the Game Warden." Nash Pelkey, Class of 2021, PLACE intern with Vermont Fish and Wildlife with Joel Flewelling

"I have learned when working with kids of all ages you must be very patient. I see some kids pick up choreography or corrections better than others but I also know that even if they do not you still work towards the goal of them fully understanding what they need to do. Some of the younger kids will sometimes “space off” so I’ve learned that if you make what they are learning fun vs. just making them do drills they will keep being engaged because they are learning but don’t realize that they are. Being in the gym for a while now I have seen the kids grow as athletes and as people and it is so amazing to know that I am a part of that growth." Molly Ward, Class of 2021, PLACE intern at Cobra Gymnastics and Dance with Shelby Jones

"As my placement at Century 21 Real Estate with the Hughes Group ended I could see tons of changes in myself and how I see other types of jobs. I feel like I have also become way more mature when put into serious situations. I watched how my mentor would handle things when they don't go her way, and she would still remain calm and respect the person she was working with. I took that and applied it to myself to help the way I carry myself in public and in school. Before my placement started I didn’t really know too much about real estate and all the different aspects of the business. For example, some things that surprised me were the background things that nobody else sees like getting deeds, tax payments, checking houses, setting up fire alarms, etc. I...Luckily for me my mentor Lauren Hughes was very open to everything and treated me with great respect as if she had known me her whole life. Her being so open to me really made it easy for me to learn everything as fast as I could while still feeling comfortable with what I was doing." John Foley, RHS Class of 2020, PLACE intern with Century 21 Real Estate with the Hughes Group

"Coming into my PLACEment, my main goals were to gain experience within the field of nursing, demonstrate a commitment to personal community health and wellness, observe and evaluate situations in order to solve problems, all while collaborating effectively and respectively within the clinical practice. Before my PLACEment, nursing just crossed my mind when thinking of the career I want to pursue in the future, but after my PLACEment, becoming a nurse is the only thing I want. As I have completed over fifty hours, my experiences have been filled with observing patient-to-nurse interactions daily, as well as following the tasks of front and back office nurses daily. In my internship, I wasn’t forced to partake in many tasks; my initial job was to just enjoy through observing. Over my experience at Dr’s Lisa and Peter Hogenkamp’s office, I have gained connections with the nursing and doctorate staff. I cannot tell you how nice it was to be included and nicely welcomed by all of this practice’s staff. Over time, so many people there have shaped me and given me excessive amounts of advice as I come to the time in my life where I have to decide my future. Initially, I was so nervous to start this PLACEment, mainly just because I truly wasn’t really sure what to expect when it came to nursing within a clinical practice. In addition to being so grateful I had my PLACEment within this business, I am proud of how I was able to handle some of the medical situations in which I observed and encountered throughout my time...I primarily signed up for PLACE to test my ability and interest in nursing. My interest has gotten so much stronger through this experience, and I am so glad I had my PLACEment at this specific office." Anna Bower, RHS Class of 2020, PLACE intern at Dr.'s Lisa and Peter Hogenkamp's Office

"Throughout my PLACEment, I have managed to improve my social skills and work towards being a better person...I got a chance to work on social skills, my ability to commit, and my knowledge of the arts. I told myself that the main thing I needed to work on was my ability to communicate clearly and efficiently. I improved some of my social skills and the ability to commit to something. I would tell my past self to not stress as much about the hours or how uncomfortable it was in the beginning. I would also tell my past self to work hard on the few assignments I need to do in the class, and tell my past self to focus on the final project in the beginning because it involves planning a lot...My PLACEment has helped prepare me for college, given me a taste in what career I want to pursue, and helped me work on some skills...I worked hard in my internship and I am glad I had this opportunity to explore career choices." Abbie Flemming, RHS Class of 2020, PLACE intern with William Ramage Art Professor Emeritus Castleton University

"After this placement I am now confident in my decision to go on to nursing school and eventually become an RN. ...I joined the PLACE program to help me confirm my thoughts on entering a career in nursing. There are endless opportunities that nursing has and I hope to take advantage of them all. One thing that I might go onto do after nursing school is becoming a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). This will allow me to be a part of surgical operations and control the anesthesia that a patient receives during his or her operation." Garrett Davine, RHS Class of 2020, PLACE intern at RRMC Nursing

"During this internship I have learned more than I ever would’ve expected...While working here a few more career choices have gone through my head such as becoming a detective or owning a business....No one in my close family except for my mom has graduated from college. My mom went to college but changed paths after she graduated, so I want to be the first to go all the way through and stick with it. Going into this internship I was very nervous because I felt like I was being left with strangers while trying to figure out if this is what I wanted to do. It was hard for me at first because I was uncomfortable so I think the more involved I got the easier it was for me to enjoy and really think about if this is what I want to pursue. I'm just nervous to get to college and spend all that money, meet people, get settled, and then decide this isn’t what I want. Everyone says it’s okay to go in undeclared but I just want to have a plan before doing something that big." Shelby Jackson, RHS Class of 2021, PLACE Intern at LaValley's for interior design

"I wanted to do this internship to learn more about criminal justice, and I can honestly say I learned and saw a lot more than I thought I would. Given my passion for criminology and profiling, I wanted to see what it is like in a REAL police department, not just scripted ones on TV. I am so thankful for this opportunity, and believe that PLACE is such a great outlet to try new things and learn real life skills!" Delaney Courcelle, RHS Class of 2018, PLACE intern at Rutland City Police

"During this internship, I’ve been forced to be more aware of my surroundings. When I’m at high school, it's easy to “live under a rock.” I have the option to only surround myself with the people I hangout with at school, sports, clubs, etc. Although this does count as being a part of the community, you are able to shield yourself from the things you don’t want to see. In the ER, you don’t exactly have that option. You see all kinds of citizens in Rutland, and how they struggle. Some struggle with drugs and some struggle with their own health. You see the ones who work, and the ones who don’t. You see the ones who have nothing to their names, and the ones who have no family. You watch as someone receives a difficult diagnosis. Often times, you don't usually see this wide range of people constantly when you are at school. It is much easier to stay within your comfort zone. So, to say that I have been thrown into a whole new dynamic would be an understatement." Emma Murphy, RHS Class of 2018, PLACE intern at RRMC Emergency Department

"I was able to apply some previous knowledge I had gained from school into my internship and vice versa. I was able to apply a limited knowledge of molecular bonds that I had learned from chemistry when talking to Marty about how the drugs are made. I was also able to apply my knowledge of white blood cells that I learned to Marty when learning about the immune system in anatomy. Marty had taught me about different types of white blood cells when teaching me about the effect medication for schizophrenia had on white blood cells and when we began learning about white blood cells in anatomy I knew the different types and some of their purposes." Caden LaPenna, RHS Class of 2019, PLACE intern at Beauchamp & O'Rourke Pharmacy

"Throughout my internship, I can tell that I have changed as a person. This internship has taught me to go out of my comfort zone and try something new. Kate Moser, my mentor, helped me gain confidence, so that I could step out of my comfort zone." Sakshi Dholaki, RHS Class of 2018, PLACE intern at Back on Track

"Having participated in the PLACE internship program, my eyes were opened to opportunities within my community. As a student, I found it remarkable how much I grew from hands-on work in a field that is filled with curiosity and layers. My time at the Rutland County State's Attorney's office was beyond remarkable and exceeded all my expectations. Not only did I walk away having learned valuable lessons, but through being involved with my community on a level beyond that of a student, I found myself motivated and more engaged than ever before. Having hands on experience in the field that I am pursuing has allowed me to progress significantly in my college studies, giving me the ability to reflect on knowledge gained through experience. Without hesitation, my PLACE internship reassured my goals for my career path, and opened doors within the community, and for my further education. " Molly Engels, RHS Class of 2017, PLACE intern at Rutland County State's Attorney's Office

"I have had the greatest opportunity to experience an internship with the Rutland City Police Department. I have put in over eighty hours with the Evidence Custodian Melissa Sharkis and have partaken in ride-alongs and helped put together the new evidence system with a presentation. Now I'm going to school for it and I truly do believe that this opportunity has and will impact me later on in life by giving me a broader perspective. This opportunity has made me grow as person because I always needed some work with time management but having to be put in the situation were tardiness isn’t allowed has made me more responsible at being at places on time. One thing this experience has shown me that there are more opportunities out there for me than I realized. " Sequoia Dixon-Woodard, RHS Class of 2017, PLACE intern with Rutland City Police