HOSTS SOUGHT FOR JOB SHADOW DAYS
Help give HSA juniors an opportunity to learn first-hand about the varied and invaluable work of health service professionals!
A key component of the Health Services Academy (HSA) model is providing students with access to medical and allied health professions and professionals. Throughout their time at HSA, our students have had access to professional speaker panelists, and dedicated teachers, mentors and field trip hosts who have given them unique and exciting insights into the world of health services in their community and beyond.
To continue building on this important foundation, we are building our Job Shadow Program to provide our hard-working juniors an even closer perspective.
Please visit our program profile to learn more about our HSA Health Careers Job Shadow Program.
This will be an invaluable experience for our students. We hope that it will also be a rewarding opportunity for members of the health services community to inspire the next generation of leaders in the field, and to introduce their critical work to a larger community.
If you are a health services professional and are interested in being a host, please complete our Host Registration Form.
Please also take a moment to pass this message along to any colleagues or contacts who might be interested in hosting our students.
For more information, contact:
Erin Stryffeler, Work-Based Learning Coordinator Phone: (323) 377-5970 or Jennifer Drake, Community Outreach Director Phone: (310) 872-9164
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 Our Mission | | Health Services Academy High School is a free public charter school developed by Alliance College-Ready Public Schools and authorized by the Los Angeles Unified School District, which employs the theme of health care to provide rigorous college-preparatory instruction and application-based curriculum.
Our mission is to equip students in South Los Angeles with the tools necessary to excel in high school, to prepare them to enter and succeed in college, and to motivate them to select health care related majors and careers - areas in which minority students like those in the school community are grossly underrepresented.
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Upcoming Events
4/2-6/12 Spring Break
4/9/12
Pupil Free Day
4/10/12
9th Grade Speaker Series
4/10 & 11/12
HIPAA Training for 11th Grade
Parent Advisory Meeting
4/16 & 17/12
10th Grade CSULA Field Trip
4/21/12
Parent University Meeting
4/24/12
9th Grade Speaker Series
11th Grade Hospital Tour - LA Orthopedic Hospital
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Contact Us
For School Info:
12226 S. Western Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90047
Phone: (323) 972-9010
Fax: (323) 905-1570
School entrance is located on the corner of 122nd and Denker Ave.
For partnership info:
Erin Stryffeler
Work-Based Learning Coordinator
Phone:
(323) 377-5970
Email: estryffeler@laalliance.org
or Jennifer Drake Community Outreach Director Phone:
(310) 872-9164 Email: |
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STUDENTS AND PARENTS ATTEND ACCION COLLEGE DAY
 Fifty HSA students and parents were among over 400 Alliance families who were brought together by Accion on Saturday, March 10th. This fun and informative event, held at Occidental College, was designed to help students and their families prepare for college.
After a greeting by Accion Founder and Executive Director Gloria Diaz Ventura and Occidental College Associate Dean of Admission Pati Pineiro-Goodenberger, attendees participated in bi-lingual workshops that were held throughout the day and lead by Alliance alumni and their parents. These invaluable workshops gave participants an opportunity to talk with current college students, alumni and parents about their experiences; and work with college admissions representatives on completing college applications and writing compelling essays.
During lunch, students and families visited the event's college  fair. More than 30 colleges from across the state and the country participated to inform and recruit students.
The closing session featured keynote speaker Lalo Alcaraz, an award-winning editorial cartoonist and Latino journalist. At the end of the session, some great raffle prizes and a generous $500 scholarship were given out.
It was such an inspiring day and we are so grateful to Occidental College, and to Gloria Diaz Ventura and her team at Accion. We also want to thank Alliance Director of College Success Nicole Murphy and her team for their hard work, and HSA Counselor Kristen Rivas and Director of Instruction Andrew Crowe for ensuring that our students and parents were part of this great event.
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UNIQUE MENTORSHIP PROGRAM GIVES JUNIORS INSIGHT INTO THE STUDY OF PUBLIC HEALTH
The dedicated mentors, all graduate students and members of SCPH, work with 11th grade advisory classes every two weeks to guide students through public health focused projects. The themes chosen for this year include: infectious diseases (John Snow and cholera), toxicology, vaccines (controversy over autism connection), health policy (tobacco settlement and lessons learned), obesity (debate over school lunches), LGBT health, asthma, built environment (health impact assessments), and ethics (Tuskegee Syphilis Study). The program is possible through an ongoing partnership with UCLA's Students of Color for Public Health (SCPH).
The program, now in its third year, has been a terrific experience for students and mentors alike. "I get great satisfaction from passing on my knowledge to other students, especially when it concerns my passion for public health," offers mentor Sophia Hocini. Fellow mentor Evelyn Alvarez also shares her enthusiasm, "I love my students! They are so engaged in the presentations, and they ask very thoughtful questions. They also know the answers to many questions I ask, which shows me that they are dedicated to learning. I think they all have very promising future careers in public health if they decide to pursue this field!"
In addition to helping the students learn more about critical topics related to public health, they also act as strong role models for our juniors as they prepare for college and careers.
"I have worked really hard and struggled to get to where I am today," shared fourth year medical student and first year master's student Christyn Beal. "I would not have made it without the help and guidance of people who were already where I wanted to be. I feel it imperative to pay it forward. If just one student can learn one thing from me to help them get to where they want to be, I have succeeded!"
Mentorship Program Coordinator Mona AuYoung hopes that their presence "helps to demystify college, grad school, and professional health careers." But she also aims for the program to impact students in their every day life. "I look forward to the students getting more interested in public health, whether it's thinking twice about what they eat, or considering the ethical implications of research," she says.
Mentor Alexander Martos is keeping on eye on the future with a message to students, "In the long run, I Iook forward to bumping into some of the students from HSA at UCLA. Don't forget to apply next year!"
Our sincere thanks to all of our wonderful mentors and to Mona AuYoung for her leadership. We would also like to express our heartfelt gratitude to UCLA School of Public Health's Assistant Dean for Student Affairs David Clark and Career Advisor Arlecia Powell-Halley for making this invaluable program possible.
Go Bruins!
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THE SPELMAN COLLEGE GLEE CLUB PERFORMS AT HSA
With help from the Los Angeles Chapter of the National Alumnae Association of Spelman College, HSA was honored to host a special  lunchtime performance of the 44 ladies who make up the extraordinary Spelman College Glee Club. The visit was part of their annual spring break tour of the West Coast. Under the direction of Dr. Kevin Johnson, Assistant Professor of Music and a Los Angeles native who graduated from nearby Crenshaw High School, the ladies graced our students, faculty and staff with four a cappella selections. "They sounded like angels," said one teacher, a sentiment that was shared by all in attendance.
After the performance, the members of the choir who are majoring in the medical or science fields introduced themselves and explained their majors. While the ladies, their director and chaperones dined on a lunch served by the catering and main office staff, students were able to ask questions specific to college, academics, and music. Interested students were also given the opportunity to sign up for extended time with the group.
 HSA Glee Club members were able to spend some additional time with the ladies as well and, under the direction of Advisor Ms. Amber Daniel, do a special performance for them. They also presented them with a handmade thank you card.
Before boarding the bus to prepare for an engagement in Oakland, they said a final thank you in song. It was the perfect end to a truly wonderful and inspiring visit.
HSA Assistant Principal Carla McCullough, a graduate of Spelman, summed up the day with the following statement, "Today, I was proud to be a Spelman woman and a HSA wolf! Howwwwwwwlllll!"
Our heartfelt thanks to each and every member of the Spelman Glee Club, to Dr. Johnson, and to the L.A. Chapter of the alumnae association!
We would also like to thank the office staff for taking such good care of our guests and making sure the visit went smoothly, and all of the teachers and students for being grateful hosts and a gracious audience. Last, but certainly not least, thank you and congratulations to Ms. Daniel and the HSA Glee Club for their terrific performance!
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JUNIOR BREAKFAST CELEBRATES AND ENCOURAGES HSA'S FIRST CLASS OF STUDENTS
HSA Juniors, clad in their class colors of turquoise and black, joined faculty and staff on March 2nd for a breakfast feast catered by Feed You Well. The ASB class had decorated the lunch area with balloons, table covers, streamers and posters to represent and celebrate the junior class. This special event, held during advisory, was organized and promoted by the Associated Student Body (ASB).
While the food was delicious, the true intent of this special gathering was to honor all of our founding class's hard work and motivate them to continue on that path during this very important year.
11th Grade Advisor Ms. Traylor directed the breakfast, which provided a chance for faculty and staff members to share their words of support and impart important information about summer programs, prom, their upcoming senior year, and more.
"Putting an event together for our first graduating class was so exciting for myself and for our ASB class," shared ASB Advisor Ms. Castro. "This event was meant to celebrate their accomplishments and to encourage them before they take major tests such as the SAT, ACT and AP exams. Overall, it was a successful event that our juniors enjoyed."
Thank you to the ASB class for putting this terrific event together, and to ASB Advisors Ms. Castro and Ms. Adams, and 11th Grade Advisor Ms. Traylor for your leadership. A special thanks to Office Manager Ms. Sanchez, Plant Manager Mr. Pineda and everyone at Feed You Well for all of your extra support.
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WESTSIDE FAMILY HEALTH CENTER BRINGS MEDICAL MOBILE UNIT TO HSA CAMPUS
 Westside Family Health Center's (WFHC) 36-foot Medical Mobile Unit has two exam rooms and is staffed by a licensed nurse practitioner, community health worker, and medical assistant. It will be on campus the last Wednesday of every month from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. to provide free reproductive health services to students.
Studies show that adolescents and young adults have less access to health care than any other age group. As a result, teens and young adults face serious barriers related to sexual and reproductive health care. This partnership, modeled after similar LAUSD school clinic partnerships, will help eliminate some of these barriers.
While, according to state law, these services do not require parental consent for youth ages twelve and over, WFHC staff members promote family involvement by counseling clients on talking with their parents about their sexual health and decision-making. HSA also sent a letter to all parents informing them of the clinic and its services and invited WFHC Director of Community Outreach and Education Julie Kirk to present at a recent Parent Association Meeting.
The mobile unit made its first visit on February 29th and the staff was greeted with a full appointment calendar and a waiting list for future months.
"We are thrilled and excited to be here," said Ty Aburto, Director of Clinical Services for WFHC (pictured far right with his staff). "This population of students is dealing with some major issues and we can tell we are needed. It will be great to provide resources on a regular basis."
In the future we are hoping to hold a weekend family day that would provide a wide range of medical services to students and their family members. 
Our thanks to Julie Kirk, Ty Aburto and all of the dedicated staff of WFHC for bringing this tremendous resource to our students. |
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