WFD Youth Summer Program participants gather for a closing ceremony in Bornstein.

More than 100 local high school students filled Bornstein Amphitheater last month for a celebration honoring their hard work at BWH this summer.

For six-and-a-half weeks, 117 students gained new skills and experience while interning across the hospital and distributed campus as part of Workforce Development’s (WFD) Youth Summer Program. More than 40 departments, divisions and teams volunteered to host a student this summer, including Ambulatory OB/GYN, Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Care Coordination, the Endoscopy Center and Radiology, to name a few.

“You significantly contributed to the departments in which you worked,” said WFD Director M.J. Ryan during her keynote address. “The people you learned from are now your champions. Working side-by-side with you brought much joy to our staff.”

At the event, Director of Organizational Effectiveness Ellen Gilmore congratulated the students on a productive, successful summer and thanked BWH managers for their help in teaching the next-generation health care workforce. Partners Biobank project manager Nicole Allen shared a few words of advice, encouraging the students to recognize and celebrate the different gifts and contributions that they bring to their surroundings.

Student speaker Julian Smith-Sparks, who interned with the Division of Sleep Medicine, spoke about the confidence he gained from the program. Smith-Sparks graduated from English High School earlier this year and is headed to Stonehill College with a full scholarship this fall.

“The division treated me like I belonged there,” he said. “I got to experience teamwork and get a glimpse of the future after college.”