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Please share a brief reflection from your volunteer experience. Your input helps us understand what students are learning, how we can improve training, and how our service is impacting veterans. Responses may be included on this page below.
During my last service learning, I worked at the VA's specialty clinic, helping serve veterans and assisting nurses by taking vital information such as blood pressure, temperature, weight, oxygen rate, and more. During this experience, I learned a lot about how to talk to veterans, as every time I welcomed them into the clinic, they would tell me about their days, their lives, and their stories outside the VA. It was a surreal experience, as although I knew that I would most likely never see these patients again, I would learn so much about them and help in their healthcare journey. Working at the VA has allowed me to learn about the processes that healthcare professionals go through in order to care for their patients, and has taught me about how to care for and talk to every person who walks through the door and looks for my help or assistance.
—Ethan Huang (Sage Hill School) Oct. 7, 2026
On Wednesday, I went to the Long Beach VA with my service learning group and volunteered as a part of the patient transport department. During my shift from 10-3, I mainly helped move patients around to where they needed to be, by pushing their wheelchairs, and also ran some errands when needed. I think what went well was the learning process of volunteering here as I initially felt lost because of the large size of the VA hospital buildings, but I was able to learn the layout and procedures through the help of other volunteers. In the end, I felt confident enough to transport a patient on my own and this made me feel proud. To me, the interesting parts of this experience were meeting the patients, other volunteers, and hospital staff because everyone had a story to share and were welcoming to us even though some of us were new.
—Aaron Ko (Sage Hill School) Oct. 7, 2026
Yesterday, for my service learning day, I volunteered at a veterans hospital for the first time helping with patient transport. My role involved helping patients get to different areas of the hospital and making sure they felt comfortable along the way. This experience showed me how even small acts of service can make a difference in someone's day. I also gained a greater appreciation for the veterans and the healthcare workers who care for them. Overall, it was a meaningful experience that really reminded me of the importance of patience.
—Adheem Mujeeb (Sage Hill School) Oct. 7, 2026
“I was introduced to the Gastrointestinal Lab and spent most of my time there. I learned how to clean up and set up beds for new patients, how to connect a patient's vital signs onto the bedside monitor, and how to transport a patient via a movable bed or wheelchair. Also, I was lucky enough to be able to watch the doctors and nurses perform a colonoscopy procedure, learning from the entire process and watching the live camera feed. It was quite an experience.
I feel like I was able to get a grasp of how to greet new patients coming to the GI lab, as well as the initial process of setting up to get them ready for IV drop and procedure. Most importantly, I felt welcomed there and got to meet many new people, including nurses, doctors, assistants, and other volunteers. Next time, I will be more comfortable with the equipment and general process, diving straight into my work and interacting with more patients. Overall, I had a great time and I look forward to returning to volunteer next month!”
— Eric Zhao (Sage Hill School) Oct. 1, 2025
“Last visit I met so many new characters that I feel a little bit more enlightened. Mr. Hamilton asked me why I was serving here and I said that it was for the sake of helping the veterans, not for the sake of fulfilling a school volunteering program hours quota. It made me realize that I am actually contributing to a community and that even though it might seem insignificant, I am making a person’s life just a tad bit better. Which is a very cool thing to say.
Other veterans I met also had very shining personalities even though they have been through so much, which is truly awe inspiring and I hope that I can keep helping them out in the future after high school as well.”
—Ethan Guan (Sage Hill School) Jan. 14, 2026
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