My daughter applied for and was awarded an externship at our local hospital the summer after her junior year at high school. The primary focus was to expose the participants to various professions in the medical field, visit labs, clinics, emergency response centers, and doctor's offices. A coordinator drave them to different places every day for a month.
At the conclusion of the summer program, there was a reception to meet board members and parents were invited as well. Each participant was required to submit a written report about the experience and present it at the reception. The night before the reception, she showed me the report and I thought it was very well organized and written.
At the reception, the first presenter was a young man, a senior from the same school. He did an excellent job and profusely praised the program. It was much better than what my daughter had prepared. The rest of the participaticants read their reports without much enthusiasm, or involvement with the audience.
At last, it was her turn and she was the last one to speak. Spoke and deliver she did.
Miraculously, she decided not to use her written report after all, instead she gave an improtou speech. In the speech she thanked every single staff member by name and for what specific things they did for them, gave specific example and locations in what she learnt. Laughters erupted from time to time. Only she and I knew that the speech was impromptu. She was still holding the paper in her hand, but seldom glanced to it.
Fast forward several months, a third grader student ran to my wife in the hall way, and said existingly "congratulations! Congratulations." My wife asked "congratulations for what? Little miss?". The little girl said "congratulations to your daughter for going to college. I do not know the name, but my mom and dad were happily jumping up and down last night when they heard about it. They told me why they were so excited and happy". Both of the little girl's parents were young doctors and my daughter had met with them and talked with them.
That was an impression to leave.
