Interning For A Future Career

By Eliza Hallabeck

Already in his second internship of his high school career, Dylan Kelleher is working toward a career in medicine.

“I always had an interest in science and community service,” said Dylan. “When it came together, it just clicked for me.”

Now in his senior year at Newtown High School, he is interning in the pediatrics department at Danbury Hospital. Dylan also serves as an EMT at Newtown Volunteer Ambulance, and is the president of the Junior Corps there.

At his internship, Dylan said he is working with Patrick Killeen, who he said has been very helpful. “The greatest things for me is watching how to work with patients,” said Dylan.

“Dr Killeen tries to relate especially with pediatrics patients,” said Dylan. As an example, he said Dr Killeen often asks patients to tell him something about their lives. Then, when he is trying to explain something medical to them, he can bring them back to an example from their life from using a similarity.

“He doesn’t just blurt out knowledge or scientific names,” Dylan said. “He makes it down to earth.”

He said Karen Moore, with Education Connection, and Peg Ragaini, with the Career Center at NHS, have also been helpful, specifically with setting up the internships.

“It’s definitely helping me for working as an EMT,” Dylan said.

More of his friends were doing internships with him last year, and he originally applied for his first internship when a friend told him about the opportunity at the school.

Some things he has witnessed at his internship have made him realize new aspects about his future career, he said. “They have to make sure they manage their timing correctly,” said Dylan.

He did his last internship at Danbury Hospital also, he said. This year he has been working there one day a week for nine weeks, to eventually have 30 hours of work.

Dr Killeen, Dylan said, has been great with getting him hands-on opportunities to learn.

Dylan also works at Big Y in town, and he is a member of the Guidance Honors Association and of the National Honor Society.

Attending school in Newtown, he said, prepared him as a whole to accomplish everything he had completed this far. He added that the work ethic his family and friends display have impacted him for his educational career and in working as an intern.

His internship will end on December 22, when he has completed 30 hours of work.