Students Participate in Professional Day & Guest Speaker Series

Exploring Health Sciences and Language of Medicine students participated in Work Based Learning throughout the school year by hosting a guest speaker series to enrich their units of study, each student prepared a resume, and participated in a culminating event with career preparation tips and mock interviews conducted by military recruiters. 

Resume Writing – 145 students used 5 hours of their class time beginning the year by drafting resumes, then editing them in the second quarter, and submitting final drafts in April after revising them with accrued certifications; similarly they crafted cover letters in third quarter, edited them, then submitted final drafts in April to prepare their professional portfolios for mock interview day, and for future interviews.

Mock Interviews – 130 students readied their professional portfolios including final drafts of resumes and cover letters, and copies of certifications, donned professional interview attire, and practiced answering interview questions with military recruiters and other professional personnel to practice for actual interviewing.

Professional Day & Guest Speaker Series: 

US Navy Captain Sean Neer of the Joint Chiefs of Staff visited our Language of Medicine class as a guest speaker for 25 students for an hour of his time to conduct mock interviews, and to talk about interview readiness including (1) what’s your elevator speech encouraging students to be able to know and articulate about themselves (2) what’s your why encouraging students to be  (3) who are you interviewing with encouraging students to speak from the heart, not just what the interviewer wants to hear. 

US Army Sergeant Aaron Danielson visited our Language of Medicine class as a guest speaker for 130 students for 6 hours of his time to conduct mock interviews and to talk about military careers, available scholarships, advancement, and opportunities available; fortunately, this provided students with an alternative to civilian careers, immediate college enrollment after high school, and financial assistance with career-focused training.

US Army PFC Le visited our Language of Medicine class as a guest speaker for 60 students for two hours of her time to talk about medical careers in the military and recount her story; as a psychology student at GMU accruing college debt she joined the military to alleviate that debt, was trained as an orthopedic tech, and within months of enlisting recounted working in both clinical and surgical settings assisting soldiers in the health care field; answering student concerns, she also addressed concerns about being on the front line, and how the army assists anyone who joins in becoming the best version of themselves.

Mr. Daniel Ewell, former DCPD detective, visited our Language of Medicine classes as a guest speaker for 130 students for 5 hours of his time while students were able to learn about consequences and issues related to drunk driving, substance abuse, criminal charges, and road side testing; moreover, as part of our vestibular system unit students were able to don goggles demonstrating substance use (i.e. cannabis, 3x the legal limit for alcohol, etc.) to practice balance and coordination exercises, road side testing drills, and general manual maneuvering under the influence of substances.

Ms. Rachel Grizzard, our WPHS Family and Consumer Sciences teacher, and her class visited our Language of Medicine classes for 80 students for 3 hours of her time as a guest speaker during May, our HOSA Mental Health Awareness month, and students were able to learn about the wide impact of mental health on finances, personal relationships, families, careers, and more; in addition, snacks were provided as an incentive for dopamine release with food to improve mental health, and how eating helps improve mental function.

Elizabeth Knudson, our WPHS Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist, visited our Exploring Health Sciences class of 22 students during the pharmacology unit for an hour of her time to discuss the effects of drugs including cannabis, opiates, and other substances on the body, and on the life of children, teens, and adults; she astutely described the chemical process on the body, how a person can succumb to addiction, and it’s effects on their lives.