BUFFALO, N.Y. — Nazia Sultana will be a senior this year at Hutchinson Central Technical High School. As part of her internship this summer, she's been on the sanitation crew at Kaminski Park, located on the heart of Roswell's campus.
"I love working here. All the patients are so nice, all the staff are so nice. I'm glad I'm here," Nazia told 2 On Your Side. "Especially because of the virus I have to keep clean everything so people have a safe environment to enjoy."
Nazia and 99 other high school and college students have been working in all areas of the hospital since early July. Many of them were placed through Mayor Byron Brown's summer work program, which helps students find paid internships throughout the city.
"We have students working in labs, we have students working in our public safety office, students working in clinical spaces," Roswell's Director of Diversity and Inclusion said. "Then we have students working out in the community right in our backyard in the fruit belt."
One of those students is Anna Scinta, who attends City Honors. She has spent her time as a Roswell intern helping to clean up neighborhoods around the hospital.
"Sometimes I've been taking pictures before and after of what we've done and I can see dramatic changes," she said. "The neighbors actually compliment us all the time and I don't think I've had a day where there hasn't been someone that walks by and said 'thank you.'"
Scott says interns assigned to these beautification roles are helping the hospital fulfill its mission to make meaningful connections with members of the community.
"A lot of times people when they think of Roswell they think of it as this big scary place, and we're looking to dispel some myths as well about Roswell on many different levels," he said. "The more people we have who have exposure to Roswell without it having to be a cancer diagnosis first, the better."
For students who are interested in careers in medicine like Nazia, working in healthcare during a pandemic is an experience they'll take with them for the rest of their lives.
"The memories are great here, and I'm happy to have those kinds of memories with Roswell," she said.