“That summer I realized that I want to make people’s experiences better. Most people want to avoid the hospital, right?” she said. “So how do we make it special? How do we make it easy for them when they’re here?” [Photos Courtesy of Paulette Velazquez Vega]
It was during her senior year of high school that Velazquez Vega’s family moved back to Mexico due to unforeseen circumstances. But Velazquez Vega felt called to be in the U.S. and attend Andrews University. With the support of her family, she made the difficult decision to be far away from family to pursue the purpose she felt God had for her.
During her time there, Velazquez Vega learned of the AdventHealth Internship Program from a friend and former intern. As a double major in business administration and arts, Velazquez Vega eagerly attended an information session hosted by the organization’s Leadership Institute during her junior year of college. The AdventHealth Leadership Internship is an 11-week program designed to introduce interns to the diverse and exciting careers in health care, allowing them to collaborate with various departments and teams. After attending the session and applying for the program, she was accepted as a business management intern and was assigned to spend her summer at UChicago Medicine AdventHealth.
“That summer I realized that I want to make people’s experiences better. Most people want to avoid the hospital, right?” she said. “So how do we make it special? How do we make it easy for them when they’re here?”
Being away from her family, Velazquez Vega found a sense of belonging as an intern in the Great Lakes Region. “I was able to find a great group of people to work with, and going to work was enjoyable. I was constantly being pushed every day not just to show up, but to have the courage to learn new concepts and adapt to a changing world while away from my family.”
When she found herself struggling or questioning her decision to remain in the U.S., she remained rooted in her faith and trusted that God had a plan for her life. Velazquez Vega believed it was important not to question or doubt herself, as she felt that if God opened a door for her, He would also provide a way. This promise came to fruition during her time as a resident while in her rotation at AdventHealth Palm Coast, where she had the opportunity to jumpstart a program called Project SEARCH.
Project SEARCH is designed for adolescents with learning and developmental disabilities. Through Project SEARCH, they are offered various job rotations to help acquire the skills needed to enter the workforce.
“It was very fulfilling because I not only got to help with something that I was very passionate about and connected to my story with my brother, but it was also very rewarding to see those students’ lives change,” said Velazquez Vega. “The way the leaders embraced the students and accepted them with compassion was a perfect example of AdventHealth not only extending the healing ministry of Christ to patients, but to our team members and our community.”
Gracie D’Alessandro is a writer for AdventHealth.
