We contacted Chante’ Ratekin, Staff Development Manager, from Henry Community Health (HCH), to talk more in-depth about their partnership with NCHS. Chante’ expressed HCH's enthusiasm for their partnerships with New Castle Schools, stating, “When we were asked to host an intern, there was no question - yes!”
(Photo: Madison Erb with Henry Community Health's MRI machine)
HCH has a longstanding relationship with the career center, offering clinical experiences for students. This new partnership aimed to broaden students' understanding of healthcare careers beyond traditional roles like nursing and medicine, highlighting the need for skilled employees in IT, Facilities, Hospitality Services, Business/Office Administration, Finance/Accounting, Marketing, and more. Chante’ emphasized, “We were intentional about the areas and types of experiences we offered interns from NCHS to provide them with real-world exposure while preserving the integrity of the career center programs. We understand that building positive relationships now helped grow our youth into the adults we would one day work alongside.”
This semester, HCH is hosting three interns - Madison Erb in medical imaging, Aleah Vaughn in the nursing office, and Sarah Jones in a physician’s office - each gaining invaluable insights into the healthcare field. Madison Erb reflected on her experience, “I’ve learned that time management and good communication skills are essential, especially working in a hospital. I'm grateful for this internship opportunity as it provided insight into my future work environment and allowed me to understand the dynamics and functions of this field ahead of time." Madison is planning to attend Ivy Tech in Muncie for Diagnostic Medical Sonography. Her end goal is to become an obstetric ultrasound technician.
Terrance and Jillian Whitehead, Triple J Plumbing & Utilities, and Laura Conley and Garrett Waldeck, Duty Calls Plumbing, echoed much of what Chante’ had to say but provided a completely different company perspective. Both Triple J and Duty Calls are family-owned and operated, residential and commercial plumbing companies.
(Photo: Ethan Ma gaining employability skills at Triple J Plumbing)
When asked why Triple J decided to partner with NCHS, Terrance said, “We loved the idea of it. The youth of our community need leaders to step up and help guide them into a positive future.” Ethan Ma, an intern for Triple J’s Utilities business, said “I’ve learned new skills and gained a lot of work experience. Triple J has opened my mind about the plumbing and utilities industries.” Terrance was thrilled to hear this. “We like to see these clear pathways giving graduates the necessary skills to fulfill the many exciting positions in our company and the community at large.”
Laura Conley, Duty Calls, agreed, saying, “We want to give high school students the opportunity to learn a trade and have the ability to expand their experiences. The possibility to have long-term employees from this program is exciting as well.” Their intern, Aidan Hargrave, originally wanted to work at a factory after graduation. He decided to try something out of his comfort zone instead. He said, “I’ve learned from my internship that everything comes with practice. You’ll never know if you are good at something until you try.”
Here’s the best news. Both Ethan and Aidan plan to stay at Triple J and Duty Calls as full-time employees after graduation!
(Photo: Aidan Hargrave trying a new skill with Duty Calls)
