By Anthony Rifilato
As they walked arm in arm with the frail woman, Abolafia explained to Green, a senior at Baldwin High School, why her patient's knee gets swollen and that too much weight on the knee can be excruciating.
"It's interesting to watch," said Green, who said she is keeping her options open before she goes to college next year, and is thinking about a career in physical therapy. "It makes you appreciate life a little more."
Down a labyrinth of corridors and into the vast kitchen where cooks and workers toil to feed thousands of patients, doctors and administrators, Baldwin High School senior Jarrett Jones donned a white chef uniform and worked along side head chef Ronnie Page. The duo was preparing a gigantic hero and Caesar salads for a sweet sixteen party.
"I'll make anything," said Jones, who said he wants to be a chef when he graduates.
Green and Jones are just a few of the 44 Baldwin High School Students who participated in the district's 9th Annual Shadow Day last week, where juniors and seniors trail industry professionals and are granted a first-hand look into a particular field. The program is said to provide students with greater insight into possible career choices, while giving students the opportunity to see if a certain career is right for them.
"It helps educate students," said Devera Lynn, communications manager at Mercy. "Baldwin is a very interactive school."
When it comes to careers, there are numerous business electives that students can take at the high school such as E-commerce, financial information technology, career planning and sports and entertainment marketing.
"I loved entertainment marketing," said Abigail Baram, who was at Mercy as a public relations shadow. Baram said that the class was visited by a New York Islanders representative, as well as learning Power Point computer program, creating web pages and crafting business brochures.
The shadow day is part of the district's school-to-career program, which involves students in activities and internships outside of the classroom and provides a glimpse into the real world. Some other businesses and institutions that have taken Baldwin students under their wings are State Farm Insurance, Fleet Bank and Hofstra University.
"In addition to shadowing, they meet professionals and gain an increased appreciation of people working in these various fields," said Sheila Michael, a community liaison to the school-to-business partnership. Michael said that Baldwin and Mercy are initiating a Health Career Club in the Middle School.
Students can feel the impact of the real world at Mercy, which has over 800 different positions within its vast infrastructure and is like a small city. Not only can students trail health industry professionals such as physical therapists, but financial counselors, business directors and public relations staff as well.
"It affords them the opportunity to show them the non-clinical side," said Peg Humphrey, a shadow-day coordinator.
But there were those students who decided to follow technicians and occupational therapists.
X-ray technician Jessica Hearn showed student Pia Hurst how to insert a disc under the skin, called a medi-port, which helps channel chemotherapy.
"I thought it was going to be boring, but watching the whole procedure was interesting," said Hurst, who wants to go to medical school and attend New York University or Johns Hopkins.
Donnie Wesselhoft, a 17-year-old junior, was shadowing a recreational therapist and working with a stroke victim. They played cards, which stimulates memory and hand coordination.
"Therapy is what I want to go into," Wesselhoft said, who explained that the title "recreational therapy" was deceiving. "Initially I thought it was sports injuries," he said. "But I could see myself doing this, helping people."
