Submitted By: Santa Barbara County ROP/CTE

Student Background

Claudia was a high school student anxious to begin her future. As she considered future careers, she discovered that she lacked focus and desired a clear direction.

Program Description

Claudia took ROP/CTE Health Careers and ROP/CTE Advanced Health Careers. In addition to exploring the many sectors and career pathways in the health industry, both teachers addressed the ethics and laws that govern the health industry.

Claudia loved the unit on anatomy and physiology. “I love learning about the human body and how it works. We learned all the bones, the major muscles, and organs in the body. We got to use life-sized mannequins and other models in the classroom to learn how our own bodies work.”

The ROP/CTE coursework not only helped Claudia affirm her goal to be a health professional, it helped her sift through and examine various opportunities in the field. “We had numerous health professionals – doctors, nurses, and even administrative staff – come to our class and give presentations on their jobs,” explained Claudia. “Being able to ask questions to real people gave me a new perspective on some of the careers I was considering.”

Outcomes

She believes that her ROP/CTE courses helped change her future plans. “I am more focused in my studies because I know what I want and I know what I have to do to reach my goals.”

The Santa Barbara County ROP/CTE Health Careers courses gave Claudia an edge in the real world. She credits the courses to receiving a nomination and a scholarship to go to the National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine at UCLA for ten days last summer. Claudia visited medical schools, shadowed residents, and saw dissected cadavers. “Without the ROP/CTE courses I never would have known about this amazing opportunity that gave me so much first-hand experience in the field,” she explains.

Claudia Riveroll will graduate from the Health Careers Academy at San Marcos High School this coming June, 2014. She is the scholarship recipient of the National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine and the Hispanic Scholarship Award, and a nominee of the PEO Star Scholarship. Claudia greatly appreciates her Santa Barbara County ROP/CTE classes for contributing to her achievements and awards, and for revealing the many careers available in the health and medical industry.