Gwenyth Brenton

My experience as a caterer allowed me to gain customer service skills through guest interactions and requests. I not only learned the necessary skills to serve food, memorize a menu, and set up a venue, but also how to accommodate the needs of individuals and be as upbeat and willing to help as possible for those I was catering to. My experience in catering fine-tuned my skills in helping people, keeping a tidy and well-managed area, and working closely with my team of other caterers. Teamwork was essential for providing the best customer service, and ensuring everything went as smoothly as possible.

Working as a swim instructor over three summers, and a lifeguard over four summers, has given me many valuable skills for future jobs in healthcare. Working with children in swim instruction pushed me into a role of leadership, where I was responsible for multiple classes of children with varying swimming abilities. I created plans for the children to advance as much as possible while having fun, and I also served as a mentor to those new to swim instructing. As a lifeguard, I learned basic First Aid, CPR, and went through lifeguard training to obtain a certificate. I developed skills for attention to the patrons, and a fast reaction time when I was put into a position to rescue someone. I practiced procedures to help those with medical problems, and I consistently refreshed my skills with my coworkers as a team.

I worked alongside my classmates, training to be a CNA for 104 hours, providing direct patient care at Sumerfield Post Acute. I learned all the basic skills one needs to be a CNA, along with many other communication and technique skills, by practicing hands-on with the Nurse Assistants of the facility. Not only was I introduced to the challenges that come with caring for patients one-on-one, but I was also shown how to work as a team with my classmates to provide the residents with the best possible care. I passed both the written and skills exam shortly after completing clinicals and am now a Certified Nurse Assistant.