Who knew that watching surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from a patient's tongue would be the highlight of Nina Zarwie's young life? But she was awed, she said, watching the surgeons' teamwork.
"Each member of the team knew their job and anticipated what other members of the team needed," she said.
It was an important lesson for an aspiring doctor, courtesy of her summer job at Cancer Treatment Centers of America, one of the 1,000 employers participating in the program WorkReady.
WorkReady provides full-time or part-time work for at least six weeks for people between 12 and 24.
"They infuse those dollars right back into our communities and for our city, it helps to build a path of local, diverse talent and that talent will help employers meet their future needs," Fulmore-Townsend said.
For the kids themselves, it's a couple hundred dollars a week to save or spend, but more importantly, they learn about the world of work and, as Zarwie discovered, their own potential.
"I hope that every young person has the opportunity like I did, to not only change their life but to move forward and change lives," Zarwie added.