The ECU Health Volunteen Summer Program is designed to teach students ages 15 to 17 the value of community service and to provide experiences that foster growth and maturity. The program also provides an opportunity for the students to learn about and explore health care careers. Mattox Piscorik, a senior this year at D. H. Conley High School in Greenville, and Abigail Williford, a junior at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Durham, have both served as Volunteens at ECU Health Beaufort Hospital, a place where they enjoyed working in a small, family-like community.
Mattox Piscorik
For Mattox Piscorik, ECU Health is a family affair. His entire family works in health care in some way, making it natural for him to also choose a career path in the field.
“My mom’s a nurse at ECU Health, my sister-in-law is a cardiovascular sonographer, my brother is an ECU dental school student, and my other brother is in pharmaceuticals,” he laughed. “I even recruited my grandmother to be a NICU volunteer. I grew up in health care and I love it.”
His brothers also both served in the ECU Health Volunteens program, which sparked Mattox’s interest in volunteering at the hospital when he got old enough to do so. He began at the ECU Health Medical Center, but this past summer he spent time at ECU Health Beaufort Hospital. That’s where he got the idea to pursue a career as a hospital administrator. “I thought I wanted to be an emergency department (ED) doctor,” Mattox explained. “But after starting the Volunteens program and talking to Dr. [Dennis] Campbell (president of ECU Health Beaufort Hospital) this past summer, I fell in love right then and there with health care administration. I want to work at ECU Health and give back to the families in need in eastern North Carolina.”
While Mattox enjoyed his experience volunteering at the ECU Health Medical Center, which offered many opportunities to learn, he said he especially enjoyed the small community setting at Beaufort. “Everyone knows everyone, and you get to know the patients and their families. I wanted to make a strong connection and impact that community,” he said.
While at Beaufort, Mattox said he worked in the ambulatory surgery unit (ASU) taking patients to pre-op and then back to their cars after surgery. He also worked in the hospital lobby greeting patients and families and helping them find where they needed to go. “I also shadowed an ED doctor, and it was so awesome to see exactly what nurses, physician assistants, doctors and the others do in that setting,” he said.
This type of work is extremely gratifying, said Mattox, especially considering he’s seen the hospital from a patient’s family member perspective. “My dad had a couple of cardiac events and was in the hospital,” he said. “I got to see things from that side, and it showed me that these families need someone to show them compassion.”
That patient and family interaction is what Mattox enjoys the most. “You don’t know what they’re going through, and just being able to put a smile on their face and give them someone to lean on means a lot. Everyone comes together at the Medical Center and Beaufort, and it’s a team effort to provide care for eastern North Carolina. This includes the volunteers, and it means I can make an impact.”
Abigail Williford
Abigail Williford is a Chocowinity native who plans to attend medical school. She’s known for much of her life that she wanted to work in health care, in part because of her own experience as a patient at the ECU Health Medical Center. “I was born 10 weeks early and was in the NICU,” she shared. “Every year we go to Greenville and take the NICU a cake and a card to show our appreciation for them and what they do.” Her specific area of interest has evolved over time, from a neonatologist to a surgeon; but whatever she chooses, Abigail said it’s always medicine and she wants to give back.
That’s why being a Volunteen at ECU Health Beaufort Hospital made sense. “My mom heard about the program and she told me about it. I thought it sounded interesting and have been doing it for two years now.” Abigail opted to serve at Beaufort Hospital. “It’s smaller and that was better for me starting out,” she said. “Starting in a smaller community lets you get your bearings, and I plan to go back next year.”
Abigail said it’s the people that keep her coming back. “Everyone is so nice. You’re welcomed there, and everyone is willing to give you opportunities to help and learn.” Some of the services Abigail has provided include taking phone calls, delivering meals and flowers, working the front desk and signing people in, running wheelchairs to various parts of the hospital, helping in the ASU and directing people to where they need to go. “It’s cool to hear the patients and families tell their stories. I try to bring joy to their lives and it’s great to see their happy faces.” She also had the chance to observe a few surgical procedures, and some of her time volunteering in cardiac rehabilitation gave her the chance to see patients work hard to recover.
This experience has taught her that you never know what people are going through. “You might look at someone and wonder why they are so upset, but then you realize they have something serious going on. You have a choice to be a light in their day.”
Angelina Brittle, the manager of volunteer services at ECU Health Beaufort Hospital, sees the Volunteen program as a great way for teens to connect with their community while gaining valuable skills. “The Volunteen program provides a meaningful opportunity for students to experience the health care environment firsthand,” she said. “At ECU Health Beaufort, we see incredible value in offering these experiences, not only to help teens explore potential career paths, but also to foster personal growth, teamwork and a spirit of giving back. Volunteering in a health care setting allows them to connect with their community in a unique way, leaving a lasting impact on both the teens and those they serve.”
The process to apply to be a Volunteen is easy, and both Mattox and Abigail encourage any students interested in working in a hospital setting to apply. Applications for the 2025 program, which runs from mid-June to the beginning of August, open in January 2025, and students can volunteer at ECU Health Medical Center, Beaufort, Duplin or Edgecombe. Due to an increased interest in the program, applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as the application opens. To learn more about the Volunteen program and to apply online in January 2025, visit ecuhealth.org/volunteers/#Beaufort or email Angelina Brittle at [email protected].