Future Nurses, Engineers, and an Artist: Summer Interns Are Making a Difference at VNSNY

VNSNY Recruitment Assistant Allison Hui’s responsibilities include managing the organization’s Business Summer Internship Program. This summer, 53 paid college interns are working to support various VNSNY departments. Below are profiles of five interns who also have a family member who works at VNSNY. “In each case, the family member saw a listing for a summer positions and encouraged their son or daughter or other college-aged relative to apply,” says Allison. “Our internship program helps participants gain practical experience that supplements what they’ve learned in school, and also enables VNSNY to hear ideas and valuable feedback from younger people and potential workers.”

Victor Kuang (SUNY Stony Brook)

As an intern with the CHOICE Managed Long-Term Care (MLTC) Clinical Review, Assessment Unit and Utilization Management team in VNSNY’s Brooklyn office, Bensonhurst resident Victor Kuang, 21, feels that he is making a contribution to a worthwhile organization while also gaining important background for his chosen vocation. Preparing for his senior year at SUNY Stony Brook with plans for a career in nursing, Victor’s internship includes assisting with administrative functions like developing and translating correspondence directed to providers and plan members. “It’s teaching me what goes on around nursing—the back-office support that’s needed to complement the clinical work,” he says. Victor, who is the son of CHOICE MLTC Care Coordinator Yan Ying Su, especially appreciates the chance to experience the value of teamwork firsthand. “I’m learning that to function most efficiently, work processes need to be flexible and collaborative,” he notes. “Teamwork makes the job easier for everyone.” Victor’s own team spirit was nurtured as a competitive swimmer in high school, and today he continues to keep up a regular swimming regimen, “mostly to stay fit.”

Rayquan Telpha (SUNY Binghamton)

Rayquan Telpha, 22, has an internship with the VNSNY Community Mental Health Services (CMHS) FRIENDS STEPS program, where he interacts with at-risk and emotionally challenged children in the Bronx. “It’s kind of like a therapeutic day camp,” he says. “We play games and work on things like anger management and building self-esteem.” As the fourth of 11 siblings, Rayquan notes that he has a lot of experience being a big brother, adding, “I think all kids are basically the same—they have good days and bad days.” The nephew of Wendy Miller, Office Supervisor for Partner In Care’s Home Health Aide Training Program, he says he’s been impressed by the scope of VNSNY’s impact, with its “clinics and nurses all over the area, helping those who have been overlooked.” Rayquan is entering his final year at SUNY Binghamton where he will earn a degree in physics. His goal is a career in engineering, preferably something related to infrastructure. In his spare time, Rayquan volunteers at elementary schools near his Bronx home, demonstrating physics principles to help children become interested in science.

Annaeise Figueroa (SUNY Old Westbury)

This is Annaeise Figueroa’s third summer as a VNSNY intern. In 2016 and 2017, she supported Partners in Care in the administration and compliance areas, addressing clients’ needs through a customer service role. This year, she is working with CHOICE MLTC Administration at 1250 Broadway. Annaeise’s experience at VNSNY has expanded her understanding of the important services the organization provides for the community, and has also helped her develop her business skills. “I’ve learned so much here about being in a business environment,” she says. Annaeise, age 20, was referred to the internship program by her mother, Christine Garcia, Program Coordinator for CMHS’s Home-Based Crisis Intervention Program. Her current responsibilities include supporting the presentation function by developing a series of dashboards and PowerPoint slides. This Williamsburg resident will put those skills to good use going forward: She is entering her senior year at SUNY Old Westbury with a major in visual arts, and hopes to set up a commercial studio at some point where she can produce sketches and oil paintings to sell.

Sara Cheng (SUNY Stony Brook)

Sara Cheng, 20, travels each day from her home in New Hyde Park, Long Island to her internship with the CHOICE MLTC Clinical Review, Assessment Unit and Utilization Management team at VNSNY’s Brooklyn office. Entering her senior year at SUNY Stony Brook, where she is majoring in Health Sciences with a minor in Business Management, Sara is planning a career as a nurse or a physician’s assistant. Her internship responsibilities include helping to determine CHOICE members’ eligibility for specific services and then creating correspondence informing both providers and members about approval or denial of coverage (she’s even helped translate the correspondence into Spanish at times). Sara is the daughter of VNSNY Home Care nurse Noven Law. “While I’m not involved in clinical work, I think I’m accomplishing something positive for members by helping them understand their benefits better,” she says.

Michael Medina (Fairleigh Dickinson University)

A resident of Saddle Brook, New Jersey, Michael Medina, 19, is interning with FRIENDS STEPS at the program’s Bronx-based clinic. Entering his sophomore year at Fairleigh Dickinson University, Michael is majoring in electrical engineering, which he hopes will lead to a job in the automotive industry, specifically helping to develop electric cars. He was referred to the internship program by his father, David Medina, Sales Manager for CHOICE Medicare Advantage. While his internship is not directly related to his career plans, Michael says, “I applied for this program because I like working with kids, and I wanted to help people.” He credits the training he received at the start of his internship, shadowing a social worker as the needs of the young clients joining the program are assessed, for preparing him to help the STEPS participants with the challenges they’re facing.  “Taking part in the program’s therapeutic games and day trips serves as ice-breakers that help the kids feel comfortable with the staff, which in turn helps them feel better about themselves” he notes.

Frontline VNSNY also asked our interns about their most memorable experiences at VNSNY.  Click Here see what they told our Roving Reporter!