My experience with the Emerging Health Advocates program is one I am never going to forget. Spending my junior year collaborating with Dr. Bajwa, my teammates, and so many other people who dedicate their time to the program helped me grow not only as a student but as a person and future member in the healthcare field. Our advocacy project on nutrition labels and their presence in schools within the district granted my team and me the opportunity to present in front of the Emerging Leaders Council in April and to receive feedback on ways to improve our message as well as rewarding praise on how much we accomplished. The long days researching and rehearsing our project had brought my teammates and I even closer together and taught me the importance of friendship when working towards your goals.
From my participation in the program I learned so many valuable lessons applicable within the class room, such as time management and the benefits of maintaining organization, as well as those useful beyond school. Being supportive of my teammates as we worked so hard on our projects knowing the amazing things we could accomplish was one of the most important things I could have done. A memory of this entire journey I will never forget goes back to the hours right before our presentation in front of the Council when Dr. Bajwa brought us lunch after we agreed to stay in to rehearse some more and add the final touches. It proved to my team and me how amazing Dr. Bajwa truly is and how his support and passion for our project’s mission is to thank for when looking at how far we have come. Working with everyone on this project has been one of the most rewarding things my Health Careers Academy could have ever offered me, and I am truly grateful for the support from friends, family, and of course Dr. Bajwa.
Chloe H.