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Esperanza High School has many interesting classes and pathways to offer. These pathways give students a headstart and a glimpse into what their future careers could look like. One of the pathways Esperanza offers is the Medical Science Academy. This is a 3-year pathway that puts students on a path for careers in the medical field. I talked to 3 former students from the academy that are now working in the medical field and this is what they had to say about how the academy helped them. The first student I reached out to was Leah Gomez and she graduated in 2023. Her older sister was in the academy and it caught her attention seeing how interactive and interesting the class was. She developed many great habits due to the amazing teaching of Mrs. Easton, the most important in her mind was perfecting manual skills such as blood pressure and pulse before using the digital machines. Leah’s biggest takeaway from the class was integrity. This is very important in the medical field and Mrs. Easton did a great job of instilling this in her students. The next student I had the privilege of interviewing was Alex Panahi. He also graduated in 2023 and loved the time he spent in the medical academy. He was interested in the medical field before he found out Esperanza had a medical pathway. He thought that it would be a great way to get his foot in the door and open up his opportunities and he was completely right. Because of the academy, Alex was able to get a job after high school working at a clinic. He said that Mrs. Easton taught him a lot about professionalism which is very important in the workplace, especially a medical clinic. If he could give any advice to the sophomores going into Mrs. Easton’s class next year he would tell them to take the class very seriously and absorb and memorize all the information they are being taught because even the small stuff matters. The final student I interviewed was Sienna Sims, she is currently a senior and working in externships. She is able to get real-world clinical experience and work on skills you cant really practice in the classroom like patient care. She says that the information that is taught in this class as well as the positive habits she developed will help her in her future schooling and careers. She learned many skills that she is now able to do in the field such as blood pressure, pulse, finding a patient’s height and weight, as well as checking a patient’s sight and hearing. These 3 students are a small example of how many kids have benefited from this program. These students are still connected even though 2 of them have graduated. Mrs. Easton helped her former students Alex and Leah work at  ActiveKidMD. Then this year Sienna who is a senior is now an MA getting help from Alex and Leah. This is a great example of how beneficial this program can be and how close-knit the community is. Everyone wants everyone to succeed and is more than happy to help each other out. This class will get you as close to ready for a medical career as you can get in high school, as well as giving you many opportunities and connections that are hard to get anywhere else.