Hey, my name is Connor and I’m the new male youth advisor in the Division of Adolescent Medicine at Children’s Hospital Boston. I’m a 17 year old high school senior who is sociable, easy to get along with, and friendly. For the most part I’m a typical teenage Bostonian.

I wasn’t hired here the way most youth advisors are; I took a different route. About two years ago I heard about the Teen Advisory Committee (TAC) from a child-life specialist here at the hospital. I attended a meeting and met with the TAC faculty, and I was so excited to join and help out in the hospital that helped me so much in the previous years.

After many fun months, TAC started a new project; a presentation that would inform health care providers about how teens should be treated. On the night of the presentation I was scared because I had to perform lines in front of a group of doctors and other professionals at the hospital. With butterflies in my stomach I said my lines, and I must have done them well because after the presentation was over I was approached by the director of the resident training program. She asked if I’d be interested in helping the residents learn how to communicate with teen patients. I was so excited I could barely say “Yes!”.

For the next year or so I helped train the residents and I loved it. It was a chance to socialize with other teens and health care providers, and most importantly it helped me make the hospital a better place, which was my main goal from the beginning. I also learned a lot about being a medical professional. As an adult I hope to work at a hospital, especially Children’s Hospital Boston.

One day after the resident training, I was approached by the Youth Advisory Program supervisor. She asked me if I was interested in being the new male youth advisor. I was so honored. After interviewing, I was hired, and here I am – the newest member of the Youth Advisory Program. I will continue to try and make this wonderful hospital even better, especially for teens. If you have any questions, feel free to send them in and I’ll try my best to get you an answer. I look forward to being in the hospital more often, so if you see me around don’t be afraid to say hi!

-Connor