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View Winners → Duarte High Students Participate in Prestigious City of Hope Internships
Arcadia Weekly Sep 02, 2015
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COH Interns. – Photo by Thomas Brown
Twelve students from Duarte High School recently completed a summer internship at City of Hope where they learned skills they hope will help prepare them for careers following college.
They worked three days a week, six hours per day for six weeks, in areas that included Research Operations, Nursing, Library Services, and Oncology.
The program was coordinated by Duarte High instructor Marla Keeth, L.V.N., and Rosie Armendariz, City of Hope Talent Acquisition Team Leader, and showcased an opportunity for highly-motivated students interested in a wide range of medical careers to learn at the world famous facility located in their city.
City of Hope is a leading research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes, and other life-threatening diseases. Designated as a Comprehensive Cancer Center, the highest recognition bestowed by the National Cancer Institute with research and treatment protocols that advance care and treatment throughout the nation.
COH Interns. – Photo by Thomas Brown
The 12 Duarte High school students were selected following a rigorous and competitive screening in which 80 students from Duarte, Arcadia, and Monrovia High Schools applied for the program. Only 23 students were selected. In addition to the Duarte dozen, 11 were selected from Arcadia.
The Duarte students were Jesse Cardona, Maribel Carmona, Louis Chen, Jose Dominguez, Melanie Garcia, Vanessa Gonzalez, Elise Hipolito, Maria Huerta, Ayaz Merchant, Daisy Portillo, Jada Richards and Cristina Roman.
Several of the students shared their experiences following a culmination ceremony at City of Hope earlier this month.
“We were treated just like real City of Hope employees, had lunch in the staff cafeteria, and participated in all business aspects of the hospital,’’ said Portillo, who will be a senior at Duarte High. “Seeing the passion City of Hope doctors and employees had for their jobs and how much they cared for what they did and who they were doing it for’’ was enlightening to Portillo.
As a result of her experience in the Research Operations Department under Senior VP Ashley Lee, Portillo has decided to aim for med school following college (hopefully at UC San Diego) and hopes to be a pediatric oncologist. Prior to this experience, Portillo discovered a lump in her breast, which turned out to be benign, and she was frustrated about the lack of knowledge teenagers have about such serious health issues.
Portillo and fellow senior Ayaz Merchant prepared a culminating student presentation on breast cancer effecting women ages 40 to 85 as part of the internship. Merchant also left with a newfound clarity about his future path.
COH Intern Graduation. – Photo by Thomas Brown
“You want to love your job and I know I will,’’ said Merchant, who plans to pursue a career in nursing. “Because we spent six weeks with the greatest medical minds in the world, we now have a leg up on our peers and know the exact road we need to take professionally with a built-in network of mentors from City of Hope supporting us to succeed.’’
Merchant worked with Administrative Analyst Olga Post in the Nursing Research and Education Department at City of Hope.
Junior Maria Huerta, who worked for Andrea Lynch in the City of Hope Library Services Department, felt she gained a broad-based knowledge about the hospital’s many departments.
“I lived my whole life close to City of Hope, but had no idea what was really going on inside that building. I know now it’s not just about cancer,’’ said Huerta. “There are tons of different departments – IT, HR, so many opportunities.’’
The partnership between Duarte USD and City of Hope is the first of a number of projects that allow students to work on college and career-oriented projects while in high school.
“Preparing our students for the many aspects of college and career is a key tenant of our mission at Duarte Unified School District,’’ said Dr. Allan Mucerino, superintendent of schools. “We look forward to many more partnership opportunities like this with City of Hope in the future with established pathways that lead our students to achieve success in both career and life.’’ For more information about the signature programs offered by Duarte Unified School District in partnership with the City of Hope, please contact Jenny Owen, Public Information Officer, at (626) 599-5019.
