Meet Our Buddies

Delia Chen is a senior at the University of Pennsylvania studying Biology. She began volunteering with StudentsCare during her freshman year, looking forward to forming lasting bonds with children, seniors, and their families. Before the pandemic, Delia volunteered as a StudentsCare Buddy at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Now she meets with her Senior Buddy virtually.

Delia says these new avenues for engagement are "an example of StudentsCare’s dedication to providing care to isolated seniors and hospitalized children."

Our organization’s strong leaders have been crucial as we have adapted to the current pandemic and pivoted the services we provide. In the past months, we have transitioned from college students volunteering in hospitals to virtual visits with pediatric patients and seniors. Our Buddy of the Month, Sami Tano, has found a way to implement change and adapt to the challenges volunteers have been facing in her local chapter.

College students have found creative ways to help others during a time of need; Mandy Chuang is familiar with the many ways of giving back to the community. Serving as a Hospital Buddy for pediatric patients and a Senior Buddy for isolated seniors, she has found a way to give back to a wide range of people. She hopes to become a nurse after she completes her degree from the University of Pennsylvania in both nursing and nutrition science. One of Mandy’s favorite memories from her time at StudentsCare was when she was able to make a connection with a teenage patient that had been shy previously with other volunteers. The two of them played a game of Uno for two hours and laughed so hard that they cried! It’s moments like these that Mandy cherishes most as a Buddy!

As our summer comes to a close, we are moving towards Fall and Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in September. Although we do not solely work with pediatric cancer patients at StudentsCare, our Buddy of the Month, Kayla Mohan finds it inspiring to work with this population. Kayla is a rising senior at Florida International University with plans to become a pediatrician. Her experience with StudentsCare is helping to prepare her for her future career.

Kayla says that "Every week volunteering in the hospital is different. That’s the beauty of StudentsCare. Being able to spend quality time with patients and seeing their personalities is something amazing as an aspiring physician."

Change can bring with it many uncertainties and unsettling feelings. But, change can also open your world to great new adventures and bright spots. For us at StudentsCare, our bright spot brought upon by COVID-19 has been our new Senior Buddy Program, pairing homebound seniors and residents in nursing homes/assisted living facilities with our dedicated college student Buddies who connect with the seniors virtually over phone/video. One of those dedicated students is Lauryn Lima. Lauryn is a Sophomore at the University of Miami majoring in Biomedical Engineering with hopes of becoming a pediatric oncologist. Lauryn has exceeded our expectations of the impact one can have volunteering virtually. She has shown us new ways to show compassion and kindness, even while physically distanced.

“Raimundo is one of the sweetest, humblest, kindest individuals I have ever met,” Lauryn expressed. “Talking to him is my favorite part of my week.”

In times like these, we have all had to adapt to the unexpected. Our StudentsCare Buddies have done the same with their volunteer service, serving new populations in new ways. Our Buddy Pooja Patel, from St. Louis University (SLU), has focused her efforts to make sure those that are isolated feel supported and cared for.

For Pooja, StudentsCare has been life changing. “This program goes beyond hospital volunteering; it creates connections and memories that we, as StudentsCare Buddies, will forever carry with us.”

In a time filled with so much uncertainty, there are always heroes that shine out of the darkness, determined to make a difference. Some of the heroes come in the form of healthcare workers, grocery store employees, and for us its our Student Buddies who have stepped up to make a difference in their communities, and have found ways to be creative and serve in new capacities. 

“My volunteering experience has been really meaningful”, said Maryam. “As a future health professional, I really want connect and support the populations I would like to serve one day as a doctor, and I’m glad to do my part to help those who may not be able to help themselves right now.”

In the blink of an eye, our world has changed. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to adapt to a new reality. Despite the darkness, there is light brought upon by the helpers. Mr. Rogers illustrates this through his quote, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” Alaina Marr is no stranger to being a helper. She never misses a chance to visit her patient buddy at Sparrow Hospital when he is in. Alaina shared, “The highlight of my week is when I get to see my buddy! Each visit is a special moment for me. I love seeing my buddy’s face light up when I walk into the room.” Their favorite game to play together is the card game Uno.