Stones frequently plays with the kids and helps them with their school work. “My favorite part is being with the kids because they’re all so fun and I really enjoy spending time with them,” Stones said. She is in the ACC room every day during fifth hour.
Volunteering, Learning, Helping
Junior Kailee Stones Applies CNA Skills to ACC room
Kailee Stones (21)
The thriving health care field offers some of the best career options for graduating students. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of the medical field is projected to go up 14 percent within the next three years. Junior Kailee Stones is leaning towards the medical field as her future career.
The future sneaks up on students fast, Stones has taken the initiative to participate in both the ACC room and the CNA class in order to prepare for her future. She started volunteering in the ACC room during her freshman year. She walks with the students, helps them interact with people and spends time with them. Stones takes the CNA course because she wants to be a nurse practitioner in the future. The skills she learns from these experiences have helped her plan ahead.
“I think these two classes have prepared me a lot for the future,” Stones said. “Even if I don’t become a CNA it is still important to know skills to help others. It teaches me to be compassionate with the kids in the ACC room.”
During fifth hour Stones volunteers in the ACC room. ACC instructor Mrs. Ann Ross has seen Stones work side by side with the kids in there every day. She shows compassion, hard work ethic, patience, concern and friendliness when working with fellow students. Mrs. Ross notices that Stones’ is always ready to apply herself to something that will help her improve, a quality that is necessary when working in the medical field.
“She knows what’s expected,” Mrs. Ross said. “She steps up right away to volunteer and assist students. She knows what their tendencies are, and she knows how to get them to do something that others might not. Like if someone is frustrated she knows not to push them too much because they might go off the deep end and get excited. She also has a lot of patience.”
When Stones isn’t volunteering in the ACC room, she’s participating in the CNA course. During that time she learns new skills such as patience and how to understand the people she is working with. CNA instructor, Mrs. Kim Wasalaski also noticed an eagerness to learn during Stones’ time in her class, along with her ability to interact with almost any student. Her enthusiasm to learn new things about the medical field sets her apart from other students in the class.
“I think what makes her stand out to me is that she chose to volunteer to be in the ACC room in fifth hour,” Mrs. Wasalaski said. “I’ve gone in there to talk to them about integrating the CNA class and ACC room. The special needs that they have are the things they’re going to see when they go out to the field. It’s just amazing to see that she took that intuitive on her own.”
The medical field is always in need of new doctors, nurses and other practitioners. Stones’ initiative has set the bar high for graduating students entering the medical field. Eagerness to help others is a promising characteristic as she continues to help those in the ACC room every day. Stones’ is ready to bring her compassion and hard work into the medical field.