Salvino Kicks Off St. Michael School's Engineers and Entrepreneurs Program

By: Ella Salvino

When my mom, Kerri Salvino, kicked off St. Michael’s Engineers and Entrepreneurs lectureship series in October, she drew upon her previous experiences working in the human resource department at Diebold. To be honest, I didn’t think I would learn more than what I picked up over the years of living under the same roof. But what I didn’t know was her topic would mainly focus on how to present oneself during interviews and the job shadowing component of the Engineers and Entrepreneurs program, which will take place in the spring.

Salvino began by explaining the importance of a firm handshake and eye contact during an interview or job shadow. She also emphasized there’s only one chance to make a good first impression, which translates to wearing appropriate clothes, hiding any tattoos or piercings, wearing subtle makeup (if you are female), speaking articulately in complete sentences, and refraining from chewing gum. She warned brightly-colored hair often prevents one candidate from receiving an offer over another. Another tip Salvino offered was to do 80 percent of the talking during an interview to highlight what attributes you bring to the job and what you like about the company. Additionally, she encouraged students to stay fresh during multi-round interviews and refrain from lying or making things up, which are automatic deal-breakers.

Salvino warned students about the nearly unlimited access to personal information companies have now a days. She shared they can look at any and everything a candidate posted on social media. If a candidate posted an inappropriate picture 10 years ago, potential employers may still have access to it, and thus cost the candidate the job. Salvino also explained the importance of good grades and volunteer experiences. A candidate who has shown dedication to long-term commitments, such as volunteering at a soup kitchen for five years, has a leg over his or her competition.

While appearance, online presence, grades and experiences all factor into the hiring process, Salvino told students the only way to acquire that first interview, typically over the phone, is to have strong cover letter and résumé, which means significant time should be spent writing and revising these first-impression documents. Salvino offered tips about how to make a cover letter and résumé stand out. First, she said never rely on spell check as it doesn’t catch all mistakes. In addition, ask multiple family members and friends to read the documents and give feedback. Salvino said candidates who take the time to personalize their cover letter to individual jobs stand out and doing so shows how much they want the job. Again, she emphasized the importance of honesty when presenting oneself on paper. If a candidate lies or make something up, the company will find out and either not make an initial offer or potentially revoke an offer.

Finally, after an interview, Salvino said it is important to send a thank you card or email, which also makes a candidate stand out. After my mom’s presentation, I walked away filled with new knowledge that must not have transferred over the years through osmosis as I originally thought. Having her speak to the seventh and eighth graders proved to be an invaluable experience. Thanks, mom!

Stark County Assistant Prosecutor Fred Scott Illuminates a Prosecutor's Many Hats

By: Alyssa Mattis

When I heard a prosecutor was coming to speak to our seventh and eighth graders, I became a little nervous. Prosecutors tend to have a reputation to be mean and serious. Fred Scott, assistant prosecutor for Stark County and St. Michael School alumnus, was far from scary. He walked in equipped with a neon green Christmas tie and a bright smile stretching across his friendly face. He explained that prosecutors are the lawyers who present the evidence of a crime to the grand jury, trial jury and judge. It is his job to review all the information from the crime in order to bring justice to the community. As he presents all the information, the opposing attorney defends the person being prosecuted. Scott has been an assistant prosecutor for 25 years, and said what he is most proud of is never sending anyone to prison who turned out to be innocent. Scott made it clear that a prosecutor isn't just a mean lawyer who sends criminals to prison for life. While a prosecutor's main responsibility is to protect a community from dangerous criminals, a prosecutor also helps the people he or she prosecutes. For example, when kids and teens get in serious trouble, prosecutors don’t want to lock them up for life. He assured us that the juvenile justice system isn’t designed to punish kids; it is actually used help kids and teens find the right path to live a happy and successful life.

Even though Scott touched on the juvenile court system in response to student questions, he works only with adult felons. His responsibilities include assisting drug addicts with straightening out their lives. Instead of sending drug addicts to prison, he often recommends community supervision and rehab to help get their lives back on track. He explained that overcoming a drug addiction is extremely difficult, and everyone deserves a second chance. At rehab, they learn to control their addiction. He continued to explain recovering from an addiction is difficult, but it is can be just as tough to find a job with a criminal record, which is why the Stark County Court of Common Pleas implemented the CHANCE program to give non-violent felony offenders with substance abuse problems the opportunity to expunge the charge(s) from their record that would otherwise inhibit them from being hired. The CHANCE program is a minimum 12-month intensive treatment program with three phases. Overall, I learned that prosecutors aren’t just another type of scary lawyer. They are extremely beneficial to our safety. A prosecutor is definitely a cool and interesting occupation to consider.

Getting to the Bones of Careers in X-Ray Technology

By: Brianna Londeree

When Tonya Mader, Mammographer at Aultman Health Foundation with twenty-two years experience in radiology, asked the Junior High students to raise their hands if they’ve ever had an X-ray, nearly two-thirds responded with appendages emphatically reaching high. And while many students have personally experienced having a body part X-rayed, most did not realize what a radiologist's job entailed or the state-of-the art technology now available to radiologists. As the third speaker for St. Michael’s Engineers and Entrepreneurs Program, Mader elucidated both in addition to the history, science and career options currently available in the radiology field. Seventh-grader Brianna Londeree said, “I’ve grown up with a sister who plans to be a doctor and a mother who works as a nurse, so I’d say I know quite a bit about the medical world. I’ve learned about the structure of the heart and different medicines, but I never knew much about radiology. It never phased me how complex the study really is. When Mrs. Mader came into talk about it, I was intrigued by the different machines and technology used to help people everyday.” Mader began her presentation showing students a now obsolete X-ray cassette, explaining that now all X-rays are computer generated and sent directly to the doctor. The students were surprised, however, when Mader explained old cassettes used silver to create the films, and companies would come to the hospital to buy old cassettes just for the silver.

“X-rays were an accidental discovery,” Mader explained. “In 1895, a German physicist discovered electrical currents traveling through glass tubes left behind impressions. He further experimented on his wife’s hand, capturing images of the bones and her wedding ring. Unfortunately, her hand had to be removed from all the radiation exposure. But he discovered that X-rays could travel through glass, plastic, fat and organs, but not bone or metal.” To prevent over-exposure like that suffered by the physicist’s wife, X-ray technicians take their pictures from behind a lead window and wall. In fact, Mader said all the walls, windows and doors in X-ray suites are lined with lead to protect those not being X-rayed from the radiation that bounces off solid surfaces. Mader attended the Aultman School of Radiology, which at the time was a two-year program. She said those in training to be an X-ray technician today must attend two-years of an accredited institution and earn an associate’s degree before being eligible for certification programs. She said training programs in X-ray technology include courses in physics, anatomy and physiology, as well as classes focusing on how to position patients. If X-ray technicians want to specialize in ultrasound, MRI, CAT Scans, radiation therapy or mammography, they need to complete additional coursework and training -- usually an additional year of training for each.

The Science Behind the Diagnosis

By: Madison Butterfield

When I learned we were having a guest speaker talk about her job in a hospital, I was intrigued. I’ve always wanted to join the medical field, so when Tracie Phillips, the mother of fellow eighth grader Morgan Phillips, spoke about her career as a medical technician, I was all ears. Phillips, who has worked at Wooster Hospital for the last 20 years, was the fifth speaker in the Saint Michael Junior High School’s inaugural Entrepreneurs, Internships and Careers Program.

Prior to Phillips interactive presentation, I had no idea what duties and responsibilities a career in medical technology entailed or what happened to patients’ blood samples after the initial draw, but Phillips took students on a virtual tour of a medical technology lab, clearly explaining the steps involved in handling blood samples and testing them in various ways.

Phillips began by giving students a rundown of what a day in the life of a medical technologist is like. She explained the role medical technologists play in helping physicians make accurate diagnoses, the number of tests they perform each month, which ranges from 20,000 to 50,000, and the standard uniform they wear to protect themselves from the specimens they handle.

Phillips said as a medical technologist, she rarely sees patients, just their tissues, fluids and blood. Her work is more than 90 percent behind the scenes, and she emphasized to her audience that medical technology is a great career for those who want to help others, but maybe don’t consider themselves a people person who wants to interact with lots of people on a daily basis.

In addition to discussing the basic responsibilities of a medical technologist, Phillips also detailed what she looks for when studying cells under a microscope, different tools she uses in the lab, and how her lab’s two $500,000 analyzer machines work. While these room-size analyzers are mostly accurate, about 15 percent of the specimens’ results are questionable, and therefore need to be reviewed by hand by Phillips and her colleagues. Her lab receives most of its specimens via the hospital’s tube system, similar to the one depicted in the Polar Express movie. When Phillips explained the future of lab technology, she noted companies are creating a hand-held analyzer that will be able to be used in patients’ rooms, which will eventually reduce the need for redraws of poor samples. Although a prototype hand-held analyzer currently exists, it is rarely used on patients as the results haven’t been accurate.

Phillips showed pictures of both types of analyzers, but was able to physically bring in many other tools used in her lab and allowed students to assist her in demonstrating their use. She even had eighth grade science teacher Mrs.Cannell try to make a blood sample slide, illustrating it’s not as easy as it may seem. Another visual Phillips supplied included two blood bank cards containing samples of her and her husband’s blood so students could see how two different blood types contrasted.

As her presentation drew to a close, Phillips revealed how she initially decided to pursue a career in medical technology. She said during her high school years, she was constantly in and out of hospitals with different ailments. The doctors suspected mononucleosis, but multiple test came back negative. The doctors were perplexed and eventually prescribed steroids, which seemed to diminish her symptoms, but she never received an accurate diagnosis of Lupus until she was an adult. It was during those trying times Phillips decided she wanted to help sick people in some way. Around the same time, she took a career exploration test, and the results indicated that she might enjoy a career in medical technology. One of her teachers, who saw her test, pulled her aside and told her he thought she’d do well with a career in medical technology so she pursued it, and the rest is history. For more than two decades, Phillips has been working hard to help doctors provide patients with the right diagnosis.

Overall, Phillips presentation illustrated the importance of the unrecognized lab work that is necessary to keep our community healthy. I now have a newfound appreciation for the hard work so many people put into our health care. A medical technologist is a fascinating career to explore with an important purpose.