Not many 15-year-olds would willingly wake up at 5 a.m. to realize their dreams, but then again, Arden Hof is not your typical teen. Over the course of three days, Arden spent 22 hours job shadowing surgeons through Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola’s Career Shadowing Program in preparation for a regional competition for future health professionals.
Watching live surgeries isn’t for the faint of heart. Luckily, Arden was in her element in the operating room. On her first day, she observed a gastric surgery with Dr. Leonardo Villegas, a Sacred Heart surgical oncologist. Upon learning that Arden had an interest in neurosurgery, he connected her with his colleague, Dr. Maria Toledo, a neurosurgeon at Ascension Sacred Heart.
Dr. Toledo said that whenever a student shadows her, she feels a duty to teach and inspire them. Growing up in Puerto Rico, Dr. Toledo had no female neurosurgeon role models. She forged her own path as the first female neurosurgeon in her native country.
Read our blog story about Arden’s experience or watch this WEAR segment about the mentorship program at Sacred Heart.
