天美传媒

by Suzanne Bopp

Early on in his life, Navdeep Singh learned about overcoming obstacles, and the lesson stayed with him. When he was 10 years old, he moved from India to the United States and enrolled in middle school here. The experience was a surprise, he said.

鈥淚 experienced a lot of racism, maybe because of my appearance or my accent,鈥� he said. 鈥淧eople tried to limit me. I had to get out of my bubble and evolve from that鈥擨 wouldn鈥檛 let anyone limit me.鈥�

That idea has provided his motivation ever since. Now Singh is in his junior year at 天美传媒, studying nursing and working part time at one of Long Island鈥檚 largest healthcare providers, , formerly North Shore-LIJ Health System, thanks to an internship he found through Adelphi鈥檚 .

鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 part of a plan,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ne day I walked out of the library and I saw a banner for the . That was the reason I first went to the career center. At that point, I needed to expand from my academics into more clinical practice and a hands-on internship which could expose me to more opportunities.鈥�

The selection process for the nine available internship positions was very competitive.

鈥淚nitially I was placed on the waiting list,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think more opportunities were given to juniors and seniors and, at the time, I was a sophomore. As time went on鈥擨鈥檓 not sure how it happened, maybe other people withdrew鈥擨 was given the internship.鈥�

鈥淭hough we were impressed with Navdeep鈥檚 answers during the vetting process, we were hesitant to select him because he was not fully prepared,鈥� said , assistant director of experiential learning. 鈥淲e were concerned. But he was provided with the same instructions as other alternates and continued to shine. When a position opened, I offered it to him with the provision that he represent Adelphi well. By midsummer, I learned that he exceeded everyone鈥檚 expectations.鈥�

During the 10-week internship, he worked on a new health system initiative that aimed to hire more veterans at the facilities.

鈥淚 was reviewing r茅sum茅s, interviewing veterans and making sure their r茅sum茅 fit the job they鈥檇 applied for,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey sometimes struggle a lot coming to the civilian world.鈥�

Near the end of his internship, he was offered a job while he continues pursuing his degree at Adelphi.

鈥淚鈥檓 amazed that I鈥檓 already an employee at Northwell, through an internship that Adelphi offered,鈥� Singh said. 鈥淚t was meant to be. At first I was an alternate intern, then I was placed and it worked out perfectly for me. I loved my internship; it was an exceptional experience.鈥�

For Singh, the entire experience has reinforced his belief in the value of persistence.

鈥淎nyone can do anything they put their mind to,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the quote I always admired when I felt that my progression and development as an aspiring individual, or even a human being, was being suppressed by either myself or the surrounding environment. That鈥檚 been going on since middle school鈥攖hat always motivated me.鈥�