Chris Miller of Middletown Receives Chester River Hospital Internship

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CHESTERTOWN, MD (12/12/2012)(readMedia)-- Washington College is pleased to announce that Chris Miller '14 of Middletown, MD has taken an internship with Chester River Hospital Center. There, he helps Hispanic families navigate the community health care system.

Kaitlin Thomas '07, a lecturer in Spanish and a Spanish interpreter, has worked with a number of local organizations to establish internships and volunteer opportunities for Spanish-speaking students through the new WC-Latino Community Volunteer Program. Miller, a double major in Biology and Hispanic Studies, is among the first student volunteers to be placed with a community agency.

"My early perception of this position was that it was some kind of clandestine volunteering opportunity, and I was determined to find it, " says Miller. "Eventually, I hit jackpot."

On Thursdays, the hospital offers free dental work and oral care to Hispanic children who don't otherwise have coverage. Because the surgeon doesn't speak Spanish, and the patients' families typically don't speak English, time spent in the waiting room can be wearisome.

"I will be there to talk with the families and make them feel more comfortable," says Miller. "Since almost no one there speaks Spanish, they hope my presence will make them feel better connected and show them that the hospital cares about all of its patients, regardless of origin and language."

Miller has been studying Spanish for eight years, and spent his sophomore year as an exchange student at Pontifica Universidad Catolica del Peru (Pontifical Catholic University of Peru) in Lima. This winter, he will use a grant from the Douglass Cater Society of Junior Fellows to intern in a Peruvian hospital working with HIV/AIDS patients.

Founded in 1782 under the patronage of George Washington, Washington College is a private, independent college of liberal arts and sciences located in colonial Chestertown on Maryland's Eastern Shore.