By Natalie Tran
Are you a student interested in pursuing a career in healthcare and medicine? If so, you should consider attending a workshop hosted by CHAMP (Careers in Health Accessibility Mentorship Program).
CHAMP was established last fall from its parent organization, the An Lành Free Clinic Project. It has since functioned as a high school outreach program.
The idea of establishing this program came to fruition during the pandemic when CHAMP mentor Sophia Donaire and her colleagues realized that they weren’t able to run their free clinic as they would normally do.
“Usually we have patient education in the clinic … [but] because of the pandemic, we are most reliant on telemedicine for our clinic except for some exceptions,” said Donaire, who is a third-year at the University of California, Irvine majoring in biochemistry and molecular biology. “CHAMP is a way for us to continue to outreach to our Orange County community.”
With goals to increase inclusivity in healthcare training programs and to establish an accessible environment, CHAMP strives to provide more mentorship opportunities to the high school students of Orange County.
“Our goal is to demonstrate to high school youth that a college degree and career in health is accessible,” Donaire said. “For many first-generation students and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, there is a gap in knowledge and experience between secondary education and professional education.”
CHAMP offers a solution to close that gap through its wide selection of workshops regarding health career development. From lessons on how to build your resume to seminars explaining the pre-dental experience, you can learn all the steps necessary to prepare for a health career.
Because of its inclusivity and accessibility, CHAMP holds a special place in Donaire’s heart.
“CHAMP is super special to me as my parents are not from the United States and I’m a first-generation college student. My parents always call me the guinea pig of the family and I know there are many students who are like me too,” Donaire said. “I hope the workshops can speak to my fellow guinea pigs and help high school students see if they want to take the health career route or not.”
For those who are interested in pursuing a career in health and medicine, Donaire has a message.
“If you’re exploring a career in health, my number one recommendation would be to expose yourself to the career and gain some experience,” she said. “Most if not all health careers require some form of education, so I think seeing the perspective of college students is vital for high schoolers to envision what their immediate next step may be like.”
To attend one of the many workshops hosted by CHAMP, you can visit their website to fill out a registration form. Workshops are hosted through Zoom.
