Sarah Wilkens of Sacred Heart High School’s Allied Health program with Biomedical Engineer Joe Veneziano, a former Allied Health student at Crosby High School, and PCA Elizabeth Olivo, former Allied Health student at Kennedy High School.

Samantha Szilvasy has always wanted to follow in her mother’s footsteps and pursue a healthcare career. By the time she was in middle school, she was aiding in her father’s recovery from a stroke, and helping both her dad and her grandfather, who were diabetic, by monitoring their blood sugar levels.

Samantha Szilvasy

As a junior at Crosby High School in Waterbury, Samantha jumped at the chance to enroll in an Allied Health program at Saint Mary’s Hospital, where she learned more about healthcare careers and how to care for patients. “I was excited to get into the program so I could learn how to help people and get closer to my dream of being a nurse,” she said.

When her father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in February 2010, she was able to help care for and comfort him. “At home I helped to bathe him, helped him up out of bed, and helped give him his medications. I promised my father before he died that I would go to school to become a nurse,” Samantha said.

When she was not helping her father, Samantha was tending to the physical and emotional needs of patients at Saint Mary’s as an Allied Health student. “I try to make a difference with the patients I meet,” she said. “My personal experiences with family illness have been difficult, but these have helped me to decide my career path.”

Samantha was recently accepted in the LPN program at Lincoln Technical Institute in New Britain, where she will continue to work toward her goal of becoming an oncology nurse. Her experiences at Saint Mary’s have helped her to realize her dream, and fulfill her promise.

Saint Mary’s commitment to education has helped many students like Samantha, by providing opportunities to learn more about healthcare careers, and gain valuable on-the-job training. In 2010, a total of 87 students from three local high schools – Crosby, Kennedy and Sacred Heart – participated in Allied Health programs at Saint Mary’s. Each of them will be eligible to take a state exam upon graduation and earn their certification as a nurse’s aide. The program, valued at $284,236, is just one of many community benefits that Saint Mary’s provides annually.

Last year, Saint Mary’s provided $27,596,092 million in discounted, in-kind or free services to the Greater Waterbury community. That includes $5.4 million for educating and training nearly 600 individuals in health professions, as well as additional funds for medical and surgical services for the uninsured and under-insured, support groups, community outreach and staff involvement in community organizations, boards and events.