Stony Brook-Mentored HOPE Program Inspires Students from Underserved High Schools to Follow Careers in Healthcare
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| Judith Berhannan, center in top row, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions at Stony Brook University, with the seven of the HOPE “graduates” all bound for Stony Brook this fall. |
Stony Brook, NY, May 11, 2017 – Fifteen high school seniors from the Brentwood, Longwood, and Wyandanch school districts celebrated their “graduation” from Stony Brook Medicine’s Health Occupations Partnership for Excellence (HOPE) Program at a ceremony on May 9, 2017, in the Stony Brook University Health Sciences Tower.
Out of the 15, seven of the graduates – a record number from the HOPE program – will be staying at Stony Brook University and entering as freshmen in the fall to continue striving towards their aspirations. Others in the HOPE graduating class will attend New York University, Binghamton University, St. John’s University, St. Joseph’s College, and Suffolk County Community College.
Since its inception in 2005, HOPE has helped open new avenues for hundreds of promising high school students from underserved and racially and ethnically diverse communities. Under the mentorship of Stony Brook faculty, the two-year program fosters the academic development of 11th and 12th students and preps them for future careers in the health industry.
“The HOPE Program also teaches life lessons that will help the students as they follow their dreams into college and beyond,” said Yvonne Spreckels, Director of Community Relations and Director of the HOPE Program at Stony Brook University Hospital. “They have learned CPR and can save a life. They’ve also learned public speaking, interviewing, and critical thinking skills to help them successfully compete in a college setting and in the marketplace.”
During the 2016-17 academic year, faculty instructed students with educational venues that included lectures, hands-on demonstrations and shadowing clinical professionals from multiple areas in medicine such as nursing, cardiology, anesthesiology, and respiratory care.
“It was an amazing opportunity to have been given and I’m extremely grateful that I got to experience the medical field in such a direct and hands-on way,” said Brooke Alleyne from Longwood, who is one of the seven that will be attending Stony Brook University in the fall.
At this year’s ceremony, the students expressed how much they learned from HOPE, frequently citing the thrill of shadowing doctors, seeing medical technology in action, learning from nurses about patient care, and the amazing breadth of the healthcare field – one that they anticipate holds many opportunities for them after they complete college.
“HOPE was two full years of fun and learning,” said Kevin Fiallos from Brentwood, who will be attending Suffolk Community College. “It influenced me to study what I wanted and motivated me to pursue another career as well. This program will definitely be one of my precious memories.”
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About Stony Brook Medicine:
Stony Brook Medicine integrates and elevates all of Stony Brook University’s health-related initiatives: education, research, and patient care. It includes six Health Sciences schools — Dental Medicine, Health Technology and Management, Medicine, Nursing, Social Welfare, and Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences — as well as Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook Children’s Hospital and more than 90 community-based healthcare settings throughout Suffolk County. To learn more, visit www.stonybrookmedicine.edu.
