Long-time Corporate Work Study Partner Makes Lasting Impact on CTK Student Worker

The community-based Gottlieb Memorial Hospital has become a trusted health care resource in the area it serves. Its size allows the patients and employees to get to know one another, creating a family-like feeling. According to Magnus Woo, Regional Clinical Coordinator, Physical & Occupational Therapy, “We want to give back to the community, which extends to bringing in and training students. It not only is an opportunity to give a young person real world experience, but we have been pleasantly surprised by the benefits our clinicians, front desk staff, and even our patients have gotten out of the experience.”    

Gottlieb has been a long-time Corporate Work Study Program (CWSP) job partner with Christ the King Jesuit College Prep (CTK), employing students since the school opened in 2008. Assigned as a freshman to work as part of the receptionist team for the Physical Therapy group at Gottlieb Hospital, Drea’h ’25 got off to rocky start. “I didn’t want to be there. I was shy and didn’t know how to adjust.” Her primary supervisor, Veronica Ostiguin, Dynamic Scheduler, Access Representative a 19-year Gottlieb employee was challenged in her first-time role as a CTK Corporate Work Study Program student supervisor. “I’m not going to lie. When she first started, I thought about sending her back. She was young and it was her first time working with adults. As a defense mechanism, she adopted a teenage attitude.” Ms. Ostiguin, as the mother of a teenager, knew what she was doing was not working. She determined that she would need to change her approach to get the best out of Drea’h. “I needed to change my expectations of her. I went into it as if she was a normal co-worker, trained and ready to go. I needed to move forward little by little, assigning projects and providing guidance. I also got more open with her – asking her about her, and what did she like. She began to realize that I wasn’t a mean person always telling her what to do.” She has learned that Drea’h likes to keep busy and take on a variety of organizational projects. Another co-worker, Grace Accolti, Access Representative comments that, “We look forward to Drea’h coming in on Tuesdays. It helps us that she takes the time and attention to handle the details and make sure everything is in order.”

Now a senior, Drea’h’s increased confidence and trusting relationships with her co-workers have allowed her skills and contributions to expand over her four years at Gottlieb. She has advanced from more of a behind-the-scenes role to becoming more integral to meeting the team’s primary objective of making sure the therapists have smooth-running days. Her daily routine now includes scheduling & checking in patients, answering phones, preparing scheduled patient paperwork, and organizing & setting up the five patient rooms so everything is ready for the patient and therapist. She enjoys working with and supporting the eight staff therapists, saying, “They are all unique and easy to talk to. The energy and spirit they bring to their jobs is what helps their patients to recover from their injuries.”   

Drea’h credits Veronica with bringing positive energy every day that has helped their relationship to improve significantly from the shaky start. “She’s the best supervisor anyone could ask for because she’s real. We have our 1 on 1 time and are able to talk. She makes me feel comfortable and is always available to answer my questions. Everyone I work with makes me feel appreciated and part of the team.” As Drea’h has become more comfortable, she has also gotten more extroverted and now makes an effort to bring her own positive energy to her job. The people she interacts with have become her favorite part of working at Gottlieb. “Not just the staff but the patients that come in. They make me upbeat and energetic. I love to greet people, even as simple as smiling and saying good morning. It makes their day and my day.”

A CTK National Honor Society member and student ambassador, Drea’h intends to go to college next fall, likely to Illinois State University to study psychology. Her career plan of becoming a psychotherapist was influenced by working in a hospital setting at Gottlieb. She also plans to draw on the lessons learned from her co-workers about being a professional, communicating effectively, and providing great customer service. At times, she has needed to be able to deal effectively with difficult patient situations. She said, “You don’t know what the patients are going through and how it affects their moods. I have learned how to stay calm and positive, and to pause and reflect before speaking. It’s important to understand both sides to be able to handle issues.”

Veronica marvels at the growth she has seen in Drea’h over the last four years, saying, “Professionally, Drea’h is at the point where she comes in and knows what she needs to do, and takes the workload off of us. I also create “good Drea’h projects” to keep her busy and engaged on Tuesdays. Personally, it’s been a blessing to have had her work here. Getting to know her and mentor her has been a good experience. I’m going to miss her and am proud of how she’s grown.”

Based on her experience with Drea’h, Veronica shared this advice for prospective CWSP job supervisors, “Don’t give up! Keep on talking to the student, some of it sticks.” Magnus Woo provided additional guidance for a successful working relationship. “You will need to stay patient with the student workers in the beginning, knowing they are teenagers. It’s a process of coaching and guiding. Try to make them feel included and comfortable. You’ll need to be flexible in determining how to bring out the best in them, but you can really reap the rewards if you do it right. Like we did with Drea’h - we’ve got to see her really flourish!”