Embarking on the Pathway to Success
Elisiya Chiu, a bright-eyed and cheerful young woman, eagerly entered the airport in her small hometown of Rapid City, S.D. Chiu was about to board a flight to Washington, D.C., to embark on an incredible four-week journey.
However, Chiu wasn’t traveling on summer vacation like most kids her age.
Instead, she traded in her flip flops and iPod to attend classes, learn research techniques, and receive instruction from professors in the field of health sciences through the Pathways to Success program at Georgetown University’s School of Nursing & Health Studies (NHS).
Chiu was one of 42 high school students participating in the Pathways program. The program is a Georgetown-run academic immersion program that brings high school students from rural America to Washington for four weeks.
Each year, Pathways students come from three states of the United States: Colorado, Louisiana and South Dakota.
The students come to the District thanks to a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration. The $1.2 million grant was awarded in 2009 and will continue to fund Pathways until 2012, according to principal investigator J.P. Hyatt, PhD, associate professor of human science at NHS.
“The program was started by a grant from the National Institutes of Health, as well as a generous donation from the Goldman Sachs Foundation,” says Hyatt. “For now, we continue to improve our existing program; after 2012, additional funding will allow us to expand it.”
According to Hyatt, the program helps students, like Chiu, reach their full potential. Inspired by the program, Chiu has already targeted the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs to pursue a pre-med curriculum and then a medical degree at Georgetown University’s School of Medicine.
After medical school, Chiu is considering a career in surgery, oncology or pathology.
“I’m interested in anything medical-related,” says Chiu. “If it takes 10 years to decide, I will be glad to have learned.”
Francesca Tripodi, associate director of the Pathways program, says the goal of Pathways is to encourage gifted minority students from rural areas to learn about health sciences, consider pursuing a career in the medical field, and take their knowledge back to their communities.
“The program brings together some of the most talented kids in science and math,” says Tripodi. “Not only that but they learn about reading, writing and quantitative skills—for most, they are the first generation to even consider college.”
Participants say Pathways makes them aware of the opportunities that exist at and beyond the college level.
“Being exposed to Pathways offers opportunities to students who normally wouldn’t expect to have it,” says Chiu. “Education has always been a priority to me, and Pathways gives me that boost.”
Each summer, the Pathways program offers students the opportunity to take courses in the school’s Discovery Center, which includes a basic science teaching lab where students learn about human biology, microbiology, biotechnology and human genetics.
In addition, students learn from human patient simulators like the Georgetown University Patient Simulator (also referred to as GUS), which is a computerized mannequin that can realistically replicate physiological conditions and symptoms, as well as pharmacological responses. Students also had the chance to tour the District, meet other students from Washington-area high schools, and speak with their congressional representatives.
Pathways students also receive five college credits during the two years they attend Pathways. Ultimately, the credits can be used at a college of the student’s choice.
For those students who are interested in the program, but are in the beginning years of high school, Pathways has created a Biology Virtual Laboratory with the help of site-coordinators at the high schools partnering with Pathways. The online laboratories are healthcare- and science-related exercises that exemplify activities that may be performed in such careers. The lab is composed of modules where students can act as scientists or medical doctors, providing their own observations and hypotheses, allowing them to observe, interpret, and learn the scientific process.
In addition, many students also have the chance to partake in health-related internships with partner clinics in their communities.
“The virtual laboratory and internships are great examples of how the Pathways program can extend throughout the school year,” says Hyatt. The programs were created, in part, so students stay engaged and continue to build an interest in the field of health sciences.
One student who did just that is proof that the Pathways program helps students flourish. Tylor Mondragon, 19, from La Jara, Colo., was introduced to the Pathways program in 2007 by his chemistry teacher. During the summers of 2007 and 2008, he attended Pathways prior to his junior and senior years in high school.
“I was ecstatic to be given the opportunity to attend Pathways,” says Mondragon. “It was my first time on an airplane and the opportunity to study at a prestigious university.”
According to Mondragon, Pathways is the reason he was accepted to Notre Dame, where he received a scholarship. Mondragon has made up his mind on what he will study—he’s declared himself as a piano performance and pre-professional studies major.
Ultimately, though, Mondragon wants to study medicine. “When I do graduate from Notre Dame, I’d like to return to Colorado to study at the University of Colorado Denver Medical School to become a pediatrician,” he says.
And that is the exact reason Hyatt and Tripodi continue to lead the program.
“Tylor is an excellent example of our tremendous students and alumni,” says Hyatt. “Ninety percent of students enter community, state or private universities.”
Mondragon hopes to one day return to Georgetown to repay the program that so greatly helped him excel.
He also has some words of wisdom for Pathways students applying for college: “Take advantage of all opportunities you have and don’t cut yourself short for any reason. Study something that you enjoy and not something for the money or reputation. It will be work if you don’t enjoy it.”
Chiu plans to take Mondragon’s advice to heart.
“The people who make Pathways possible may not realize how awesome this program has been or how much they have helped me,” says Chiu. “The people I’ve met at Georgetown are inspirations and proof that anyone can succeed…that I can succeed.”
By Tressa Kirby, GUMC Communications
