You will have a hard time finding someone better suited than Parker Vickers to help children choose and build a cuddly friend at the Build-A-Bear Workshop at Cook Children’s Medical Center. Funny, charismatic, kind and big-hearted are a few of the words people use to describe the 18-year-old.

Vickers is a trailblazer, too. As the first to participate in a Cook Children’s Medical Center pilot internship program designed to employ students from the Child Study Center at Cook Children’s Jane Justin School, he’s paving the way for his current and future classmates to join the ranks of the medical center’s workforce.

Vickers is in his fourth year as a student at the Jane Justin Upper School where children with developmental and intellectual challenges are educated using individualized lessons designed to meet each child’s unique learning needs. Teaching life skills necessary for students to achieve productive and meaningful lives is a big part of the curriculum.

“Our mission is to impart skills so that our students can transition successfully into the next learning environment,” said Kimberly James-Kelly, M.S., M.S. Ed., LBA-TX, assistant principal, Jane Justin Upper School. “So we want to create lifelong learners, and that is the case for students transitioning on to more traditional educational settings or for students transitioning on to the workplace setting or to post-secondary education. Really, we just want to help our students achieve the goals they have for themselves and support them in achieving the goals that their family has for them as well.”

The internship offers students a real-life work setting to practice and hone the skills they’ve learned while attending the Jane Justin School—skills like listening to and following instructions, customer service, adjusting to changes in the work environment, accepting feedback from a manager and working independently. A job coach from the Jane Justin School joins the intern during their hours, usually four hours per week, to guide, advise and offer support while on the job.

Just like their in-school instruction, the internship is aligned with the student’s unique strengths, interests and hobbies. Vickers is particularly fond of stuffed animals and plushies, making him the perfect fit for a post in the Build-A-Bear Workshop.

“We work with the administrators of the Child Study Center and they identify a high-potential student,” explained Tracy Vang, Cook Children’s ID&E director. “Once they identify the student, we look at their strengths and try to match them to the opportunities that we have available. It's very important that we don't pick and choose where the student goes because we have bias that leads us to put people where we think they belong. That's not our goal or our intent here. We want to match students to where they feel they belong.”

Vickers started his three-month internship in September as a front-of-the-store greeter. He progressed to helping guests choose their bear and, as a testament to his initiative, now holds the coveted role of bear stuffer.

“If you know anything about Build-A-Bear, you know that stuffing gets everywhere,” said Kimberly Johnson, Build-A-Bear Workshop manager at Cook Children’s. “Parker was quick to get brooms and sweep up the stuffing. When he noticed that the bear inventory out front was low, he went and grabbed bears from the back to stock in the store. I was so amazed and proud that he took that initiative upon himself. So the next step was to teach Parker how to stuff and, if you've been in here, you know the big machine and loud noises are a little ominous. But he took to it like a champ.”

Vickers has been so successful at his job that, over the Thanksgiving holiday, he worked without the oversight of his job coach. It was a proud moment for James-Kelly and his Jane Justin School family.

“He has worked so hard to learn what it means to be an employee at Build-A-Bear and at Cook Children's,” James-Kelly said. “He attended the onboarding training for all new hires. He pays close and careful attention to instructions in the workplace. He asks questions and acquires the skills pretty quickly. He practices them on his own. He takes pride in his work. So when the opportunity arose for him to work independent of our support, we looked at data and we talked with the staff at Build-A-Bear, and we all thought it was time. We’re incredibly proud of him.”

The program is as much a win for the medical center as it is for Vickers and his peers, Vang says.

“I would say the biggest benefit to the hospital is in the spirit of diversity and bringing everyone with different backgrounds together,” she said. “We have kids that have developmental disabilities and challenges and, when they see someone who looks and learns like them, they are able to connect with that person for a more meaningful experience. That really helps us improve our business goals by creating a patient experience marked by our core values of respect, kindness, collaboration, safety, generosity and imagination.”

Speaking of imagination, Vickers has it in spades.

“I’ve got lots of ideas in my head,” he said.

Those ideas are on full display when he performs the Build-A-Bear Heart Ceremony where children make a wish and promise to care for their bear. The ceremony is led by Bear Builders who tailor the dedication to each child’s interests, hopes, dreams and circumstances.

Once the pilot is complete, program leaders are exploring other opportunities for Jane Justin School students to receive real-world training at Cook Children’s. Potential work experiences include the cafeteria, transportation department, dietary aid and environmental services, to name a few. The hope is that Cook Children’s will be able to offer students employment once they complete their internship and that they become members of Cook Children’s work family. Vickers feels “very good” about blazing that trail for those that come behind him.

“I’m the first one,” he said proudly. “If this turns out to be a success, then everyone else would be able to have a chance to do this.”

Story by Eline deBruijn Wiggins. Video by Tom Riehm.

Hispanic Heritage Month creates an additional opportunity for us to celebrate the culture and contributions of people who are Hispanic or Latino/a. At Cook Children’s, we see the world through the eyes of children and families, of all races, ethnicities and languages. Let’s hear from a few Latino/a and Hispanic pediatricians and specialists at Cook Children's.

Celina Cepeda, M.D.; Ana Rios, M.D.; Javier Gelvez, M.D.; Roberto Caballero, M.D.; Victoria Talamo, M.D. and Bianka Soria-Olmos, D.O. sat down with us to share their journeys to becoming doctors and to hear their perspectives as Hispanic and Latino/a doctors and specialists.

Did you know?

• In the U.S., Hispanics and Latinos are an underrepresented population in medical and health care professions. Only 5.8% of active physicians are Hispanic or Latino/a in the United States.
• The Hispanic and Latino population is growing and currently makes up approximately 19% of the U.S. population.
• In Tarrant County, 30.2% of the population identified as Hispanic or Latino, according to the 2021 Census.
• National Latino/a Physician Day is Oct. 1, a day to raise awareness about the need for more Latino/a doctors.

Meet 6 of our doctors and specialists

Celina Cepeda, M.D., is a pediatric nephrologist at Cook Children's Prosper. She's from Brownsville, Texas and is bilingual in Spanish and English. She enjoys teaching her patients about the kidneys and staying healthy.

“It really makes me happy when patients are Spanish-speaking only and I can help take care of them and they are appreciative of that,” Dr. Cepeda said. “Because otherwise, it's difficult for them to communicate their needs and what they're hoping to achieve for their children health-wise.”

Ana Rios, M.D., of the Cook Children's Infectious Disease team, grew up in Colombia. She says both of her parents were physicians so she always grew up listening to them talking about how passionate they were about their jobs.

“My older brother was diagnosed with leukemia and my parents were the ones who made the diagnosis,” Dr. Rios said. “That made me feel more passionate about becoming a doctor and pediatrician and helping kids like my brother. Eventually, that's what I did.”

Bianka Soria-Olmos, D.O., serves as our Medical Advisor for Digital Health and a Cook Children's pediatrician in Haslet. She has lived in Fort Worth for most of her life and as a child, she went to Cook Children's as her brother received care here.

“I always said I wanted to become a doctor and that one day I wanted to work at Cook Children's,” Dr. Soria-Olmos said. “I love that I was able to fulfill my childhood dream here. I like that we continue to strive to serve this community in the way it has been changing and do the best for the children.”

Javier Gelvez, M.D., of the Cook Children's Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, is from Colombia and was the youngest of eight children. He has been at Cook Children's for 21 years.

“We can inspire other people to be physicians and as my kids grow up I say this is an opportunity to serve,” Dr. Gelvez said. “This is the beauty of a job where you can serve other people and make a living.”

Roberto Caballero, M.D., of the Cook Children's Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, grew up in Mercedes in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. At the time, his father was the only doctor in town. People came to their house after hours and on weekends needing help. Dr. Caballero is bilingual and said not many days go by that he doesn't have to communicate with patients in Spanish.

“That inspired me to help others and to value what it means to be available to people in need,” Dr. Caballero said.

Victoria Talamo, M.D., of the Cook Children's Pulmonology team, is from Venezuela. She says she enjoys helping people and was inspired to become a physician just like her dad.

“He was like my hero and he was everything to me,” Dr. Talamo said. “I wanted to grow up and be like him. He would come home late at night and share these amazing stories about his day.”

Arlene marked 47 years of service in January, and at 63, she says it wasn’t until a week later she realized another anniversary had come and gone. During her time at Cook Children’s, she has seen eight presidents in the White House and the cell phone evolve in every stage. Arlene’s longevity mirrors the story of growth and change that Cook Children’s Medical Center has embodied for more than 100 years.

The Early Years

A Fort Worth native, Arlene was only allowed to go to school with Black students until her junior year when she learned that she would be leaving IM Terrell High School for Southwest High School. For the first time in her life, she would be going to a school with white students, and she recalled the experience as ‘new’ and ‘scary.’ Arlene was bussed to Southwest High School from the south side of Fort Worth and to her surprise, she didn’t encounter very many issues. One thing she remembers is the mascot of Southwest High School being the Rebels. During her first pep rally, she says all of the Black students walked out because of the offensive mascot. Decades later, Arlene is happy the mascot has changed.

Her new school also brought new opportunities, including her first job at just 16 years old. Through her health occupation class, she was hired at Cook Children’s as a nurse’s aide in 1974.

“I assisted the nurses. I took the temperatures, emptied and filled water pitchers, and helped where they needed me,” Arlene recalled. She did that every evening until she graduated high school.

After graduation, Arlene became a ward clerk, now known as a unit secretary. She recalls being one of very few minorities working in the hospital and remembers other Black employees on the maintenance staff and working in the dietary department. Arlene recognizes she was hired during a time when segregation was still being battled in many places. But that was not her experience at Cook Children’s. She says she was welcomed with open arms and never had any issues due to the color of her skin.

What stands out most to Arlene is how close-knit the staff at Cook Children’s became during her early years when the hospital was located on Lancaster Avenue. She said the “meet-up spot” was in the kitchen and doctors and nurses were really good friends. Arlene reminisces on how things were different at the old hospital.

“We pretty much wrote everything by hand, and we had to physically get up and change the channel on the TV,” Arlene said. “Now, we just put the information in a computer, and it does the work for you and a simple remote click will change the channel.”

The Shift: Growth and Change

When the current medical center was built in 1989, Arlene says it was an experience she will never forget.

“The move was fun and exciting, but it was also scary. We went from a building where you knew everybody you worked with, to a building where every time you looked up you saw a different face you didn’t know,” Arlene said.

Arlene continued to work as a unit secretary when the new medical center was built. She worked in that capacity for five years before moving to Infectious Diseases where she was quickly promoted to office manager. Arlene’s position was soon phased out, and she decided to take a well-needed vacation. Before long, she received a phone call asking if she planned to come back, and letting her know there was a position waiting for her in patient registration. Arlene continues to serve in this same department today.

During her service at Cook Children’s, Arlene has seen many changes in the world and at work. One area she says has been monumental is seeing minority employees come through the doors in different capacities.

“It has been great. There are more minority physicians and employees and that’s not something you think we would be doing. It makes me proud when I see them and their titles,” Arlene said. “For example, Ms. Wini, her position brings out a sense of pride in me, because she looks like me. If she can do that, a lot of other girls can do it too,” Arlene explains.

Arlene is referring to Winifred ‘Wini’ King, senior vice president and chief of communications, diversity, equity, and inclusion at Cook Children’s. She says she was proud when Wini was promoted and the diversity, equity, and inclusion department was formed in 2020. She believes it is important to have representation and it is something that’s needed everywhere. Arlene describes having representation at the medical center to the recent presidential election. Not only has she seen a Black woman work her way through the ranks at her job, she says seeing Kamala Harris become the first woman U.S. vice president gives her something to smile about as well.

An Encounter with the CEO

Arlene’s favorite memory is sitting under the leadership of former Cook Children’s CEO, Russell Tolman. Mr.Tolman was the CEO of Cook Children’s Health Care System for 25 years before retiring in 2007. Arlene says she owes her tenure at the medical center to Mr. Tolman, and will always remember how hard he fought for her.

“When my position in Infectious Diseases ended and I took that vacation, it was a day or so after that time period that I would have lost my tenure and he fought for me not to lose my tenure,” Arlene recalled. “That will always be one of my best memories because I knew I didn’t want to start over somewhere else,” She said.

Another memory that serves Arlene well is the life-long friendships she developed at an early age.

“When I was working at the original hospital, I worked with the first pediatric surgeons in Fort Worth, Dr. Dick Ellis, and Dr. Charles Mann. Until Dr. Ellis passed in April of 2020, we had always been very good friends,” Arlene shared.

Cook Children’s met a need in the community by bringing on top pediatric surgeons, and they were able to help children from all walks of life, which in return enriched Arlene’s life. Arlene says it has been a blessing to see children who weren’t supposed to make it past 10 years old, grow up and defeat the odds.

The Future & the Next Generation

You may be wondering what drives someone to stay at one place for nearly 50 years. Arlene says she comes to work every day to see smiles on patients' faces. She adds that she looks forward to Christmas every year for that exact reason—seeing children smile because of the Christmas magic.

Arlene makes it clear to everyone who asks, that she has no plans for retirement.

“When God tells me it's time, I'm going to listen. Right now, there’s nothing that I want to do that I'm not doing. I can travel and still do things that I want to do,” Arlene explains. “I'm just not the type that can sit at home. I tell everyone, one morning, God may wake me up and say, ’this is the day, give them that resignation,’ I'll come in and I will give two weeks’ notice. I'm leaving it up to God to help me make that decision.”

As for advice for the younger generation starting at Cook Children’s, Arlene wants new employees to look forward to the next 100 years.

“First, remember #WeAreCookChildrens means love. Love for one another, love for our community and our patients,” she explains. “Have patience and don’t always expect everything to be perfect. Be willing to listen and learn, regardless of your position, and always remember to be willing to accept change.”