Date: 01/19/2017

When Casandra Jaramillo was a senior at Oakland Mills High School in Howard County, she learned about a paid internship opportunity in the security department at Howard County General Hospital—and quickly jumped on board.

The internship is part of the Start on Success program, a partnership between the hospital and Humanim, which provides educational and employment services to students with disabilities. The 16-week program includes job readiness training, job development and coaching after graduation.

“Casandra was such a rising star, and after graduation, she accepted a full-time position in the security department. She is the youngest officer in our department,” says Andrew Hall, administrator of security at Howard County General.

Hall notes that Jaramillo often serves in the office’s communications center, and “she has been instrumental in the integration of several security applications, including our recent security system upgrade.”

Jaramillo is excited to be part of the security team—and particularly proud to be the only Spanish-speaking member of the security staff. The experience and mentoring she’s gained at Howard County General—first as a paid intern, and now as a security officer—has inspired her to continue climbing the career ladder: “I want to go into law enforcement,” Jaramillo says.