HWapps offers various opportunities for students to shadow professionals and learn about health careers through our platform. Many students have participated, which in turn has expanded their knowledge and prepared them for future endeavors. One student in particular is Sara Nelson. Nelson, now a second year graduate student working towards her Doctorate of Physical Therapy at Ithaca College, participated in CNYAHEC’s summer camp, HealthQuest, back in 2009. We were able to speak with Nelson about her own personal experience with HealthQuest and how this program helped contribute to her success leading up to today.
Sara Nelson attended HealthQuest during her summer break while attending G. Ray Bodley High School in Fulton, NY. As an upcoming junior, she began to wonder what type of career she wanted to pursue after high school. For Nelson, this was an easy choice, as her family is heavily involved in the health field, both in nursing and pharmacy. However, narrowing down what exactly she wanted to study in the health field was a completely different story. That is when Nelson attended HealthQuest, a week long camp held during the summer months on Ithaca college’s campus. Nelson stated, “The HealthQuest camp allowed me the opportunity to get a sense of what else there was in the health field and to find where I would fit in with a career.” And through HealthQuest that is exactly what she accomplished. Not only did she determine Physical Therapy to be her health career of interest, but she also connected to the college campus, which helped contribute to her applying to and eventually attending Ithaca College two years later.
Nelson also added, “I learned a lot about health careers while I attended camp as a camper, but what has stuck with me since my time at the camp is the passion both of my chaperones had for their majors and the love they had for Ithaca. I wanted the opportunity to help someone find their passion as my chaperones were able to help me,” and that she did. Nelson became a chaperone for HealthQuest during summer 2015 before her final year of school. She felt that her experience was so impactful while she attended as a high school student that she only hoped to do the same for someone else in that spot.
HealthQuest continues this summer beginning July 11 to the 15 at Ithaca College campus. Through HealthQuest, students will explore a variety of health careers, learn important skills for success from health professionals and college instructors through interactive workshops and get to experience dorm life and campus living during their time. Visit our program page to learn more about HealthQuest.
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