Rupabali Samanta

Rupabali Samanta recently completed her sophomore year at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. While many other students may see summer break as a time to relax, Samanta’s summer is shaping up to be jam-packed.

A pre-med student, Samanta is also a PRN patient care technician at LewisGale Hospital Montgomery in her hometown of Blacksburg. It’s the same place she began volunteering during high school before the pandemic. That experience made her confident she wants to become a doctor.

“In my role, I take care of anything a patient may need,” Samanta said. “Even if it’s just spending time with them or cracking a joke so they can smile, it cemented my love for medicine and my passion for helping others.”

Even when she’s not at the hospital, she finds ways to give back. Samanta previously worked in the local EMS community and is currently the president of the Medicine and Society Club at Virginia Tech. She is part of the Hodes Neuroscience Research Lab on campus, and also volunteers her time. She lives, studies, and plays in the community that she serves.

“Volunteers are critical to everything we do here at the hospital,” said the facility’s chief operating officer, Devin Tobin. “Rupabali is a shining example of what our students can achieve. We were thrilled to call her a volunteer, and it’s great that we can call her a colleague as she continues her education journey.”

As volunteer numbers have declined following the pandemic, Samanta encourages others to volunteer their time and serve their communities.

“I fell in love with medicine and being able to help people during likely what is their worst time. Helping them have a little bit of brightness during such a gloomy time became a passion for me,” Samanta said.

LewisGale Hospital Montgomery is currently accepting applications for volunteers. For more information about its volunteer program, visit their website using the link provided.