By MARIA ESPINOZA and JENNY SILVA, Job Shadowers and AMBROSIA SARABIA, Staff Writer, Imperila Valley Press
February 3, 2006
Printed courtesy of Imperial Valley Press, El Centro, CA

The petite ninth-grader proudly perused the surgical unit at the El Centro Medical Regional Center in her blue scrubs.

“I’ve been interested in surgery and neurosurgery since I was 10 years old,” said Tiffany Romayor.

The Central Union High School student was with 11 other teens shadowing workers in the medical field in hope of getting a dose of their future careers. The teen was able to watch a surgery from behind a Plexiglas window and was introduced to a variety of surgical tools.

Ivan Cortez, 4, plays in the waiting room at El Centro Regional

Medical Center on Thursday in this photo taken by Priscilla Green,

a junior at Southwest High School in El Centro. Priscilla job-shadowed

Imperial Valley Press Chief Photographer Cuauhtemoc Beltran

“It’s fascinating the way everything works,” the 14-year-old said.

Romayor and about 300 other Valley students in grades seven through 12 participated in the annual Groundhog Job Shadow Day on Thursday. The ambitious teens spent the morning following employees in a field of work that interests them.

“It’s a great opportunity for students,” said Denise Cabanilla, student activities coordinator for the Imperial County Office of Education — Student Well Being & Family Resources.

Cabanilla added: “This gives them a first look at the job and they can speak to employees and learn about the skills and education needed.”

The event, staged by ICOE, is aimed at offering students a clearer understanding of the workforce and the careers they are interested in before they enter the fields.

Students had the opportunity to shadow veterinarians, coroners, lawyers, dance instructors and teachers, to name a few, to get a feel for the work in which they are interested.

About 35 local businesses joined the event and offered to mentor the enthusiastic students to offer inside looks at the jobs and help the young people discover if it’s truly something they see themselves doing in the future.

“This is an important opportunity for them to see how it is before they go into the major or career,” Cabanilla said.

Vanessa Dominguez, a senior at El Centro’s Central Union High School, already has plans to go into a nursing program after attending a junior college in San Diego this fall.

Vanessa fired questions at her mentor for the day, Blanca Gamboa, a registered nurse at El Centro Regional.

“This is so neat,” the 18-year-old Dominguez said. “It’s a really great experience.”

The impassioned teen shadowed Gamboa as Gamboa tended to her patients, administered medication, filled out paperwork and shared her personal experiences. She took time to sit with Dominguez and provide helpful advice.

“Every patient is different, so don’t assume anything,” Gamboa warned. “And don’t be scared. There are a lot of good things in nursing.”

Fifteen-year old Edith Duarte realized how much she wants to be a nurse after she spent her morning with RNs and hospital administrators.

The sophomore at Southwest High School in El Centro was inspired after learning how patients depend on nurses and all the responsibilities they hold.

“I learned it’s a lot of hard work,” Duarte said. “But I want to do it even more now.”

>> Maria Espinoza and Jenny Silva were job shadow students with Ambrosia Sarabia.

>> Staff Writer Ambrosia Sarabia can be reached at 337-3452 or asarabia@ivpressonline.com.