Backus job fair at Norwich Free Academy brought out all the stops, including the helicopter

Norwich Bulletin – Thursday, April 24, 2025
By Matt Grahn

Life Star flew to Norwich Free Academy on Wednesday. Not because anyone was hurt, but to show students potential careers in medicine.

It was part of the third Hartford Healthcare Career Fair at NFA. Sixteen different Backus Hospital departments took time to show students what they do and what students need to work in those roles, Carley Warzecha, director of workforce development and volunteer services for Hartford Healthcare East Region said.

“Our team from Backus loves to get out in the community and help influence their next steps,” she said.

The event wasn’t just about introducing concepts to students, but also about hiring students. Since some healthcare credentials are available for NFA students to earn, there are opportunities to volunteer, job shadow, or even take entry-level jobs at Backus Hospital, Warzecha said.

Even as the Norwich community worries about rising taxes and keeping young people in the community, the healthcare industry offers a wide variety of roles, from clinical work to IT and carpentry, so young people have many ways to make a good living in it, Warzecha said.

“It’s dynamic and diverse,” she said.

About 250 students attended the career fair, and another hundred were at the helicopter landing, Career and Technical Education Department Head Linda Farinha said.

The career fair

The career fair, inside NFA’s Atrium, featured a wide variety of roles and disciplines, from respiratory care to hospital security. One department that was there which students might not often think about is phlebotomy and medical labs.

Students should consider these options since Backus Hospital offers advancement in both roles and phlebotomy is an entry-level, low investment steppingstone to a nursing career, Backus Hospital Laboratory Supervisor Jennifer Coffey said.

“We’ve had a lot of interest from students, and this is the time to capture people and get them interested in the healthcare field,” she said.

Juniors Ayanna Lettsome and Jeorgia Mayo were two of the students attending the career fair. Both said their mothers were their inspiration. For Lettsome, her mother worked as a nurse and was able to raise her as a single mother, all while making a difference, she said

For Mayo, her mother had health struggles, and Mayo always wanted to help people, she said.

While Lettsome wants to be a pediatrician, the phlebotomy and medical labs interested her the most at the career fair, since they got to look under the microscope and see what’s causing problems, she said.

Mayo is considering studying to be an ultrasound technician, though the MRI scans table at the career fair caught her eye. Mayo likes how both disciplines let you see into the patient to understand what’s going on, she said.

Flying in

Students began migrating to the fence by the football field around 11:15 a.m. A little after 11:30 a.m., Life Star was landing on the football field to the applause of students and teachers.

Senior Lyric Hadley- Eleazer wasn’t at the medical career fair, but in gym class when he heard about the helicopter.

“I feel like it’s a good idea, for the sole reason that it’s cool to see a helicopter come down,” he said. “I think it’s also informative as well, in case somebody takes Lifestar.”

Afterword, a select group of students walked to the helicopter and were taught about it by Nurse and Paramedic Sam Mercer, Paramedic Aaron Olk and Pilot Jeff Arnold.

Some students, and NFA Head of School Nathan Quesnel, got to sit in the passenger’s seat of the Life Star helicopter.

Senior Jaden Williams enjoyed learning about Life Star and was surprised how comfortable the helicopter was, he said.

Williams wants to work in pediatrics but is still trying different things in medicine. He’s currently an emergency room intern for Backus. He might be interested in trying Life Star “though I don’t think I’d do it for the rest of my life,” he said.
Any NFA students that didn’t make it to the career fair certainly missed out, Williams said.

“At least you get to say a helicopter landed at your school,” he said.

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