Photo courtesy of Barancik Foundation.

Earlier this summer, Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation hosted our first summer intern. We aimed to provide a meaningful introduction to the people, institutions, and issues that shape our community, along with hands-on opportunities to contribute to the daily work of a mission-driven organization. We also sought to customize the learning experience through the lens of our intern’s particular academic and career interests.

We met our inaugural intern, Milordjie C., through Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties. She aspires to be a nurse practitioner, so we reached out to several partners in the healthcare field, as well as others in “helping professions” that intersect with health and wellness, to see if they might help us. To a one, they generously offered to share time, knowledge, and access with Milordjie, regardless of their own workloads and busy schedules. (Even more partners raised their hands, but we simply couldn’t fit them all into Milordjie’s busy calendar while she also helped with the Foundation’s work.)

Over nearly two months with us, Milordjie met with nurses and administrators at a variety of nonprofit and public health organizations. She toured their facilities, shadowed caregivers, tried out new technology, and asked lots of good questions. Beyond a glimpse of what they do on a daily basis, each professional she met shared personal insights, candid advice, and gracious offers of ongoing mentorship and support.

In a thoughtful column published in this space last week (srqmagazine.com/srq-daily/2026-08-22/30167_A-Community-Cares-When-You-Do-Too), Milordjie reflected on how those conversations opened her eyes to so much more than she knew was possible through nursing. I was lucky enough to join a few of her visits, and they opened my eyes too. Sure, I expected the people we were meeting with to be smart, caring professionals. But after seeing how they treated Milordjie, that feels like a serious understatement.

During each visit or virtual interview, Milordjie was offered hard-earned perspectives from life as a nurse along with enthusiastic affirmations of her chosen profession. The nurses she met were deeply dedicated to the difficult work they do and genuinely excited to meet a young person eager to join their ranks. They quickly sensed that Milordjie is a natural caregiver and wrapped their arms around her, figuratively and literally. It was humbling and inspiring to see just how much these caregivers cared.

As Milordjie’s time with the Foundation wound down, I couldn’t help but smile at the thank-you messages I received in response to my own thank-you messages to her various hosts. “Your visit energized our whole day,” wrote one. “We love sharing our center with others, and it’s so gratifying to encourage someone like Milordjie, who will be such a wonderful addition to the nursing profession.”

“She certainly is a lovely, capable young lady,” wrote another. “I feel that she will be a wonderful, caring nurse.”

While I got to witness how much these professionals poured into our young intern, it’s even more impactful to realize that they bring the same passion, commitment, and joy to the work they do and the people they care for every day. To Sarasota’s helping professionals, thank you for inviting Milordjie into your world. And thank you for all you do for the Sarasota community!

Greg Luberecki is Chief Communications and Learning Officer at Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation.

Photo courtesy of Barancik Foundation.

To read Milordjie's column in last week's edition of SRQ Daily, please click here.