This summer, high school students from across the
region attended “Mini-Medical School” camps organized by the Wake Area
Health Education Center (AHEC) in partnership with Vance-Granville
Community College. The camp was held in June at
VGCC’s South Campus, located between Butner and Creedmoor, and in July
at the college’s Franklin County Campus, just outside Louisburg. Between
the two locations, 35 students completed the program.
This was the college’s second summer partnering
with Wake AHEC’s Mini-Medical School, which is an intensive, week-long
day camp that uses computational science (computer simulation) and
hands-on activities to study key aspects of medicine.
In 2014, the program was offered only at the South Campus.
Students learned about topics that included anatomy
and physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, cardiology, epidemiology,
medical genetics and genomics. The course was taught primarily by Becky
Brady, a registered nurse and chemical engineer.
Two members of the VGCC faculty also taught one session apiece: Biology
instructor Brandy Bowling at South Campus and Bioprocess Technology
program head/instructor Dr. Tara Hamilton at Franklin Campus.
Faculty members from VGCC programs that prepare
students for health-related careers -- including Nursing, Medical
Assisting, Radiography, Pharmacy Technology, Human Services Technology,
Emergency Medical Services and Occupational Healthcare
-- gave students information about academic pathways and employment
prospects. Students not only had a chance to learn about careers and
hone their science skills, but they also became certified in CPR and
Youth Mental Health First Aid during the course of
the program.
The students who completed the school at South
Campus included Matthew Battistel of Granville Central High School;
Michael Harris of Granville Early College High School; Gavin Hardin and
Rhyan Johnson, both of Granville Magnet High School;
Nathaniel Selvidge and Yaziel Sosa-Garcia, both of South Granville High
School; Dominique Anderson of Southern Vance High School; Ryan
Raulynaitis of Fuquay-Varina High School; Sreekar Mantena of Green Hope
High School (Cary); Diego Pacheco of Leesville Road
High School (Raleigh); Brandon Baek, Sierra Jones and Jalen Taylor, all
of Panther Creek High School (Cary); Niecey Elps, Alexis Jordan,
McKayla Perry, Madison Robertson, Niya Watkins and Skylar Wilson, all of
Warren County High School; and Leeza Mason of
Warren New Tech High School.
Those who completed the program at Franklin Campus
included Joshua Bass of Franklinton High School; Juanita Pacheco-Sosa of
Louisburg High School; Kyndal Gunter, Jessica Schneider and Justice
Shuta, all of South Granville High School; Destiny
Harden of Johnston County Early College Academy; Savannah Staten and
Kayla Wilmot, both of Enloe High School (Raleigh); Drew McDonald of
Sanderson High School (Raleigh); Cierra Mills and Michala Mills, both
recent graduates of Ravenscroft School (Raleigh);
and Tiara Daniel and Janneth Arrieta Reyes, both of Warren Early
College High School. Two home-schooled students were also among the
participants: Rachael Basham of Wake Forest, who is also taking VGCC
classes through the Career and College Promise program,
and Kyle Brady of Fuquay-Varina.
Wake AHEC serves nine counties in central North
Carolina from its office in Raleigh: Durham, Franklin, Granville,
Johnston, Lee, Person, Vance, Wake, and Warren counties. AHECs are
located throughout North Carolina and are affiliated with
the North Carolina Area Health Education Centers Program at the
University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill School of Medicine. The
mission of the statewide AHEC Program is to meet the state’s health and
health workforce needs. NC AHEC provides educational
programs and services that bridge academic institutions and communities
to improve the health of the people of North Carolina with a focus on
underserved populations.
Students shown here at VGCC’s South Campus are,
seated, from left: Leeza Mason (Warren New Tech High School), Dominique
Anderson (Southern Vance High School), Sierra Jones (Panther Creek High
School), Madison Robertson (Warren County High
School), Niya Watkins (Warren County), McKayla Perry (Warren County)
and Alexis Jordan (Warren County); standing, from left: Jalen Taylor
(Panther Creek), Matthew Battistel (Granville Central High School), Ryan
Raulynaitis (Fuquay-Varina High School), Rhyan
Johnson (Granville Magnet High School), Brandon Baek (Panther Creek),
Gavin Hardin (Granville Magnet), Sreekar Mantena (Green Hope High
School), Michael Harris (Granville Early College High School) and
instructor Becky Brady. (VGCC photo)
Those who completed the program at Franklin Campus included Joshua Bass
of Franklinton High School; Juanita Pacheco-Sosa of Louisburg High
School; Kyndal Gunter, Jessica Schneider and Justice Shuta, all of South
Granville High School; Destiny
Harden of Johnston County Early College Academy; Savannah Staten and
Kayla Wilmot, both of Enloe High School (Raleigh); Drew McDonald of
Sanderson High School (Raleigh); Cierra Mills and Michala Mills, both
recent graduates of Ravenscroft School (Raleigh);
and Tiara Daniel and Janneth Arrieta Reyes, both of Warren Early
College High School. Two home-schooled students were also among the
participants: Rachael Basham of Wake Forest, who is also taking VGCC
classes through the Career and College Promise program,
and Kyle Brady of Fuquay-Varina.