Over 100 attendants, a mixture of both college and high school students attended the Health Career Discovery Night event on Friday April 23.
The event was hosted by chemistry professor Joanna Haan. The event introduced students to panelists in the science and health field.
Marcia Parker, a senior director at LBCC organized the event. This marked the third health career discovery night.
The event was broken into two parts; first a Q&A with panelists in the medical field, and then a Q&A with a researcher, healthcare administrator, and a mental health clinician.
Ricky Norwood, a nurse practitioner, talked about being in the U.S. military before starting his career in the medical field.
“That’s exactly how I became a military officer by attending nursing school and after finishing nursing school, I got direct admission to the army and so I became a nurse. My grandma always told me I would be a good nurse,” said Norwood.
The event’s goal was to give students information and perspective of careers in the science and medical field.
Haan said, “Volunteer a bit and know what you want to do as far as working in the science or medical field, try to do internships and explore especially high school students but definitely all students.”
The panel featured numerous members of the medical field from; biochemistry, pharmaceutical, physicians, pediatric, geriatric, and even biomedical engineers.
Each of the panelists had discussed their job and any experiences they had faced, and the diversity of professions and specializations in the medical industry.
Janette Hernandez-Valladolid, a senior health educator explained that she was a first generation student and an english learner. She learned late about going to college, and soon attended CSU Fullerton where she fell in love with learning more about health and science.
Valladolid mentioned the importance of students having a mentor, taking advantage of scholarships, and obtaining Federal Student Aid because medical school and college or university in general can be very expensive.
Alejandra Navarro, a pediatrician at Long Beach Memorial, offered advice on pursuing one’s passion.
“It’s very important to remember to enjoy your life and not be overwhelmed, but it is also even more important to go for your passion,” said Navarro.
Norwood ended the panel and said, “My advice to you all is to find your niche and go for it, but remember to always have a back up plan.”