As a group of eighth-grade students passed around pieces of a human skeleton and listened to wheezing heartbeats inside bedridden dummies, there was a consensus: “Creepy,” they said.
But the students who attended a recent Taste of College presentation on health and science careers at College of Lake County also found the experience enlightening. (Photos: A Taste of College)
“I didn’t know there were so many medical careers you could go into,” said Genevieve Korn 14, who attends Woodland Middle School and hopes to study biomedical engineering in college. “I love science,” she said.
Sponsored by the Business and Education Partners Program, Taste of College is a four-week program offering courses designed for eighth-graders, many of whom would be the first in their families to attend college. It is collaboration among Gurnee Chamber of Commerce, Lake County Chamber of Commerce, Woodland School District 50, Gurnee School District 56 and Warren Township High School District 121.
Other course offerings included explorations of careers in business at DeVry University in Gurnee, medical assisting at Robert Morris University in Grayslake and technology at University of Lake County in Grayslake. Students attend one of the hour-long courses that meets once a week. The program began Feb. 1 and culminates with a Feb. 22 reception for students and parents.
Participation has grown in the last five years, said Nasima Patel, business services outreach coordinator at College of Lake County.
“This is the first year we have a waiting list,” Patel said.
Woodland Middle School student Kendra Clayborne-Davis, 13, said she is learning more details about different career options.
“It’s very insightful,” Kendra said. “It helps you see what kind of careers we’re looking to be in.”
A hands-on on demonstration in a surgical lab allowed the students to learn how to manipulate a staple gun used to close wounds. They attached the staples to a piece of fabric on abdomen of mannequin. That provided a real world connection for Raquel Avalos-Ewing, 14, a student at Woodland Middle School.
“My aunt had staples. I didn’t know how they worked,” Raquel said. “
Jessica Elson,13, also a student at Woodland Middle School, said she already knows where she wants to attend college and what she plans to study.
“I want to be a marine biologist,” said Jessica, who hopes to attend University of Hawaii.
That’s OK with her parents, provided she meets certain criteria.
“If I can get a full scholarship, they say, ‘Go ahead.’ ”
