How a CentraCare Junior Volunteer Found Her Voice

Anuoluwapo (Anu) Ajayi, an 18-year-old Junior Volunteer at CentraCare - St. Cloud Hospital, has logged more than 750 volunteer hours — among the most in the program. But for Anu, the number isn't the point. It's simply the result of showing up, week after week, for years.

"I never really thought about it," she says. "I'd show up once a week and never really had a grasp on how the weeks and hours added up."

To be in the Junior Volunteer Program, you must be at least 14 years old and a current student in junior high or high school.

The Sartell High School senior began volunteering at age 14, inspired by her older brother, who had previously served as a Junior Volunteer. Already curious about a healthcare career, she saw the program as a way to explore the medical field while making a meaningful contribution after school.

"I'd always had this interest in the medical field, so as an eighth grader, not really doing anything after school, I thought it would be a great opportunity to dip my toes in, and I haven't looked back since."

At the time, Anu was shy and reserved, with limited knowledge of how a hospital operated. Her initial goal was simply to learn more about healthcare, but her experience quickly became about something more personal — learning how to connect with people.

"When I started, I was a very, very shy kid. I didn't really want to speak," she says. "I remember my first dinner with the other junior volunteers and I said absolutely nothing. I tried to sit away from everyone because I was so nervous to be around so many new people. The shift lead on that day said, 'No, you're sitting with us.'"

That moment stayed with her and marked a turning point.

As she gained experience, Anu took on more responsibility, eventually becoming a shift lead herself. In that role, she helped assign volunteers to different hospital units, welcomed new volunteers, and helped set the tone for each shift, often guiding students who reminded her of herself when she first started.

"I've seen this amazing growth in a lot of the people that I've trained," she says. "They come in nervous and unsure, and then you just see them become more confident over time. I just feel like a proud mother, honestly."

Much of Anu's time was spent volunteering at the CentraCare - St. Cloud Hospital Family Birthing Center, which became her favorite area. There, she helped deliver snacks to patients and spent time talking with families, small tasks that left a lasting impression.

"It takes maybe five minutes to grab a snack and drop it off," she says. "But it's a little thing, and I think it makes such a nice impact."

Through those interactions, Anu developed skills that extended far beyond volunteering.

"Introducing yourself, making sure that you're speaking slowly and clearly, answering any questions, a little bit of that bedside manner, if you will. It's helped me improve my communication and confidence, especially when working with other people. That's something that I just think is immeasurable."

Over time, volunteering also reshaped how Anu viewed healthcare and patients themselves.

"Before I started volunteering, I thought of patients' problems as something that needed to be fixed," she says. "But when you're working with people, you start to see who they are beyond the reason they're at the hospital. You're reminded that the person you're talking to is a human being, and the core focus should always be understanding them and working with them to make sure they are being cared for the best they can be."

Looking back, Anu credits starting young and staying consistent for much of her personal growth.

Over the years, the hours added up — beyond most of her Junior Volunteer peers — but for Anu, the number represents far more than time logged. It reflects the people she helped, the volunteers she mentored and the confidence she built along the way. That impact is felt even on hard days.

"If I've had a really bad day, lots of homework, scored bad on a test, I go to volunteering and I end up feeling better because I know I did something that made an actual difference in someone's life," she says. "It's making someone's day brighter, no matter how little of whatever I'm doing. And I think that's just immeasurable."

As Anu looks toward the future, she's still exploring her path in healthcare, but her time as a Junior Volunteer has influenced where she's headed. She's leaning toward psychiatry or another specialty that allows her to spend time communicating with and listening to patients and understanding their lives.

Her advice to students considering the Junior Volunteer Program is simple and comes from experience.

"Just do it," she says. "I was shaking when I walked into the room. I was that nervous. But I still walked in. There's no downside to helping people."