YouthWorks at Johns Hopkins University

One of the greatest experiences of my life is coming to an end. In the blink of an eye, here we are in the last week week of our six-week program. I am very thankful for this great experience, which has allowed me to see a different side of Baltimore through all the “field trips” we took.  Every week here, there was an exciting new adventure for all of us. One week was Homewood, another, APL and Peabody. These were all places that I had never been to and to do it as a job was even better. Writing this blog was one of the highlights of this experience because we were able to document all the work we did and places we visited. To capture what we did, we used Flip Cams to show what we did and where we went. Using the Flip Cam has peaked my interest in photography and video. Overall, my time at Government, Community and Public Affairs was fantastic.  I can truly say that I loved every minute of it.

APL (Applied Physics Lab) was amazing! Because of the work that they do there, we were not allowed to bring in anything with a picture device on it: cell phones, Flip Cams, etc. Before we could go into the building, we had to be registered. Then, with our special badges, we proceeded to learn about APL’s impact on the nation’s space program. For me, the most exciting part of the tour was a lab where we saw how prototypes and models are made. A highlight was seeing the kind of work that APL does to help, for example, a disabled veteran who has lost a hand. The tour went by way too fast. There was a lot of walking because the APL complex is huge. I would have liked to have seen more, but I was happy to have just been allowed in to a place where it can take months or even a year or more to get clearance to work there.

At GCPA,  our job is to get to know how Johns Hopkins works and what the people here do.  It’s a pretty big place so our  supervisors set up ”field trips” to the different divisions to help us along.  I guess you could say they are showing us rather than just telling us about JH.  Since we arrived in late June, we’ve toured the Homewood campus, Applied Physics Laboratory and the East Baltimore campus. We’re scheduled to go to Peabody, City Hall and the statehouse in Annapolis. My favorite so far was East Baltimore.  The five of us saw the Jesus statue and got to rub its big toe. They say doing that brings good luck.  Christine Kavanagh, community relations coordinator at GCPA and Matt Greenwood, communications specialist at GCPA, took us on the tour. After seeing the statue, we all headed down to the towline with Antoinette Hodge and Steven Cawunder who showed us where tons upon tons of trash, bedding and hazardous waste pass along the long half mile underground tunnel.  It was amazing. The Vivarium was next. Jack Grinnalds showed us where the research animals are located.  We saw mice in cages.  I’m talking about hundreds and hundreds of mice. Later, we met up with Dr. George Dover, director of Johns Hopkisn Children’s Center, and Katie Taylor, pediatric trauma performance improvement coordinator, who showed us the pediatric intensive care unit and emergency room where we saw some very sick kids. That was very depressing but it was good to see that they were in good hands with Dr. Dover and the staff.  The best part of the day was when we rode the elevator express p to the helipad, which is where the helicopters bring in very sick kids like the ones involved in car accidents.  The view of  the city was one of the best I’ve ever seen. Too bad we weren’t able to see a o land. Although, I’m glad we didn’t see one land because that would have meant that someone was in need of medical care. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have been able to see and experience all of these amazing things that most people don’t get to see.

My name is Alex Peters, I’m 16 years and I attend Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, also known as Poly. I like to think of myself as outgoing because I love to do new things. I enjoy traveling and have visited many places in the Caribbean, such as Trinidad & Tobago, and the Virgin Islands. I’ve also traveled around the United States visiting such places as California and Florida. I am an aspiring medical doctor. I hope to one day become a neuroradiologist, a specialty dealing with nerves and the brain.