It’s 4:30 p.m. on a weekday, and instead of roaming around downtown or completing homework in the comfort of her room, Winnie Chen walks through the front doors of the University of Illinois Hospital (UI Health). She isn’t at the clinic for a checkup or healthcare—Winnie Chen is there to spend her after-school hours serving as a volunteer in the pediatrics wing.

“The kids are just really cute,” Winnie Chen said.

Winnie Chen, a junior, has volunteered at the hospital since July. What started as a simple way to get out of the house during the summer and keep occupied without school transformed into a pivotal experience, allowing her to give back to her community and help ease the pain of others.

Her journey began after learning about the opportunity from her older sister, Katie Chen, who volunteered for outside organizations before working as a volunteer coordinator at UI Health. Looking up to her sister as an inspiring role model, Winnie decided to apply.

Getting onto the unit floor required going through an extensive onboarding procedure and completing several essential health requirements before she could interact directly with young patients. The process tested her patience before she could officially begin her shifts.

“It was pretty simple, but there was a lot of waiting,” Winnie Chen said. “You fill out basic questions on why you want to volunteer, and then you do multiple health clearances and an orientation.”

For Katie Chen, seeing her younger sister navigate the workplace brought a unique shift to their usual dynamic at home, creating a shared experience within the hospital environment.

“It’s definitely a little off-putting at work at first since I usually only see her at home, but it’s fine once we both settle in,” Katie Chen said.

Katie Chen has gotten to watch her younger sister grow to shoulder the responsibility of serving as a volunteer at the hospital.

“It’s definitely a bigger commitment at first since volunteers need to log at least eight hours every month. I found that volunteering really helps me open up to people and make new connections,” Winnie Chen said.

While on the pediatric floor, Winnie Chen carries out various duties each shift to keep operations running smoothly and support the daily workflow of the medical staff.

“I volunteer at the pediatric unit, so we just stand by the check-in counter and help with checking people in or out,” Winnie Chen said. “I help wipe things. I also read to children.”

She spends her time sanitizing surface areas, guiding visitors through the floor, or reading storybooks to distract young patients before and after medical procedures. She makes a point to stay active throughout her entire shift rather than waiting for instructions from supervisors. Her proactive habits quickly earned the appreciation of fellow volunteers on the unit, including a first-year UIC biology major who asked to remain anonymous.

“Winnie’s a really great person to volunteer with,” the volunteer said. “She always asks if there’s any other things to do outside of our assigned tasks. I became friends with her after we volunteered together.”

Outside of her hospital shifts, Winnie stays active in her school community as a student leader for the Asian American Club (AAC) Chinese Fan performance group. Managing long rehearsals and pages upon pages of homework alongside hospital shifts calls for structure, but Winnie has cracked the code on how to balance all her responsibilities. She relies on careful scheduling and time management to keep up with both her academic workload and her volunteer commitments.