In Her Own Words: Vianelly’s Story

We arrived at St. Ann’s in 2014, when my son Jeremiah was 3 months old and my daughter Ariana was 17 months old. We were placed in Grace House and I started attending St. Ann’s High School two weeks after being admitted.

After I got settled into school and got focused on earning good grades, our principal, Ms. Swain, invited me to her office to talk about my career plans. I thought back to the first time I saw Ariana’s picture on the ultrasound screen and told Ms. Swain that I wanted to create moments like that for other pregnant women. I wanted to be an Ultrasound Technician.

I started working with Mr. Justin, the Education and Employment Counselor, to create my resume. Ms. Swain helped me put together a professional portfolio that included my high school report cards and academic awards. They also taught me some important skills that would help me succeed, like how to answer difficult interview questions and how to dress professionally.

When my portfolio and resume were ready, Ms. Swain introduced me to Ms. Smalls, a supervisor at Youth Professional Development (YPD). The program helps young parents in Prince George’s County gain real-world work experience. In my interview I told her about my dream to be an Ultrasound Technician.

Ms. Smalls placed me with the Radiology Department of Providence Hospital for the summer of 2015. My CT Scan Manager always made sure I was learning something new. He showed me how to set up the room for a patient, demonstrated how the CT Scanner worked, taught me how to read the X-ray images, and explained how they scan different parts of the body.

This summer, Ms. Smalls helped me find a position in Providence Hospital’s Ultrasound Department. It was interesting to try out a different position and department. In Radiology, I mostly worked “behind-the-scenes” but in Ultrasound I spent more time greeting and speaking with patients. At the reception desk, I learned that being bilingual is valuable because I can communicate with Spanish-speaking patients.

At the end of my placement period in August, Providence Hospital offered me a part-time job to continue working in the Ultrasound Department! I learned that one of the managers in the hospital gave a recommendation for me. She said that I worked hard, caught on to new tasks quickly, and always acted professionally. It felt great to know that my hard work paid off.

Starting in September, I will attend St. Ann’s High School in the morning and work at Providence in the afternoons. My children, Ariana and Jeremiah, will continue to attend St. Ann’s on-site Child Care Center.

I have always loved working because it gives me something to rely on. It is such a relief to know that I can support my children and save for our future. The love that I get from my children makes it all worth it.