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Finding a Career Path Through Volunteerism with Madeline Nientimp ‘26

10/17/2025

St. Cecilia Academy students have opportunities throughout the school year to serve others, and some use the summer break to help those in need while exploring potential career paths. We asked senior Madeline Nientimp about her summer volunteering for Hope Heals Camp and shadowing medical professionals at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

“At Hope Heals Camp, I volunteered for a week with kids experiencing disabilities and their family members,” explained Madeline. The Hope Heals Camp is a free, week-long summer camp that offers support, activities, and friendships to families affected by disabilities. Volunteers fundraise to finance the camp, and Madeline raised almost $2,000 this summer. Programming is personalized for mothers, fathers, and siblings by age group, and every child attending camp under the age of 12 receives a "compassionate companion" for the week. “The ‘compassionate companion’ spends all of her time with the child and their family, assisting them and hanging out with them throughout the week,” Madeline said. “I was paired as a ‘compassionate companion’ to a five-year-old boy named Truett, whose twin brother is living with Trisomy 13. I spent every day with him, from breakfast until after dinner, doing activities like swimming, arts and crafts, worship, and more.” Madeline plans to be a staff member next summer for five weeks.

After her time at Hope Heals Camp, she shadowed an occupational therapist and a speech pathologist at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. “I was in the Neuro ICU, observing care given to mainly stroke and traumatic brain injury patients post-op,” explained Madeline. “It was a great experience, and I enjoyed getting to see how it works in a hospital setting.” For the speech pathologist, she observed speech therapy sessions in one of the clinics. “I played with the kids, did speech activities with them, and saw behind the scenes of what the speech pathologists do.”

When asked about her summer, Madeline shared, “I loved both experiences!” She felt that volunteering at Hope Heals Camp changed her life and made her realize she wants to work with children experiencing disabilities as her future career. “I actually wrote my college essay about it,” she added. “The shadowing experiences were also incredible and have definitely helped me figure out what career specialty I want to pursue.”

Thank you, Madeline Nientimp, for sharing your summer story with us!

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