Two Center for Independent Studies (CIS) Students Selected to Attend Washington Leadership Academy

Two Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) students are among only three California students selected by the HOSA-Future Health Professionals to attend a national leadership academy in Washington, D.C., Sept. 19-22, 2015. Tyler Ramirez and Daniel Lopez, both seniors at the Center for Independent Studies (CIS), competed at the state level and were selected by the California Department of Education to represent the state at the 2015 Washington Leadership Academy.

“Tyler and Daniel will proudly represent PUSD and our alternative education program at a national level,” said Jack Loos, principal of the district’s alternative education program. “They will have an opportunity to build their knowledge about our country’s health care system and contribute to the conversation about health science education.”

Both students are part of PUSD’s medical arts series that is embedded in the career exploration options pathway in the district’s alternative education program. Students in the medical arts program take regular academic classes to meet high school graduation requirements, college-preparatory classes and specialty classes such as global health, medical billing and medical terminology.

They also get work-based learning experience through internships with PUSD partners Huntington Hospital and Kaiser Permanente. Tyler participated in an internship at Huntington Hospital, which offered rotations in patient care, radiology, oncology and surgery. Daniel’s internship at Kaiser Permanente focused on the administrative and business functions of health care.

At the 2015 Washington Leadership Academy, Tyler and Daniel will meet with national and congressional leaders. They will build on their leadership skills and tour the National Institutes of Health and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.

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