By Pardis Khorasani
Staff Writer
Costa junior Victoria Noble has taken advantage of her chance to attend a program called Lead America, a program intended for students planning to pursue a career in the medical field.
The Lead America program offers different college immersion programs at prestigious colleges and universities throughout the nation. Noble decided to partake in their medicine program over the summer at the University of California, Los Angeles.
“I chose to enter this program because I received a letter in the mail inviting me to the conference, and it looked like a wonderful experience to further my desire to work in the medical field,” Noble said.
Noble is the first student from Mira Costa who has been accepted into the Lead America program. To apply, she filled out applications online as well as sending some through mail. The applications consisted of questions partaining to Noble’s high school education and what her interests were.
“I felt like receiving the application in the mail was a once-in-a lifetime opportunity,” Noble said. “I knew that I had to take advantage of it.”
According to Noble, students who attend and participate in the Lead America conferences gain a firsthand perspective of college life, experience on-campus living and earn up to two college credits. Noble will also participate in interactive workshops and off-campus trips.
“I always knew that I wanted to help people, and I thought that being part of the medical field would be a perfect way to help,” Noble said.
Conferences are anywhere from six to 10-days long and are held throughout the summer. In addition to the Medicine and Health Care Conference, Lead America also offers others such as Law and Trial, Engineering, Technology and Business Innovation and many more.
“At the conference, we will be learning core curriculum related to healthcare, such as studying cases and completing given scenarios,” Noble said. “We will also learn about key skills that are necessary when working in the medical field.”
Those who participate in the medical program will conduct disease outbreak investigations as well as understand the importance of treating patients. They will also diagnose a simulated patient and participate in labs to gain a close-up view of what it’s like to attend medical school.
“My parents really encouraged me to join this program because they know my passion for medical art,“ Noble said.
Lead America offers its programs at Johns Hopkins University, UCLA, University of Texas at Dallas, Columbia University, University of California, San Francisco, St. John’s University, DePaul University and many more, granting students the freedom to choose a location convenient for them.
“This program is very unique in that the same programs are offered at several universities across the nation,” Noble said. “I feel honored that Lead America reached out to me to become a part of this program.”
According to Lead America, its mission is to inspire and empower all young people to achieve their full potential and to instill a sense of purpose, self-confidence and personal responsibility in them.The Lead America program is recognized by many respected organizations, such as the National Association of Secondary School Principals and the American Mock Trial Association.
“I am very excited for Victoria to attend the Lead America conference at UCLA this summer,” Noble’s father, Cameron Noble, said. “I am very proud of her accomplishments.”
For all of the attendees, Lead America helps them develop the leadership skills that they will need in order to succeed throughout college and beyond in their professional careers. According to Noble, this program will also look good on her college applications.
“I am really looking forward to this summer and to this program because I have done a lot of research on it, and so far, students who have participated in it seem to really like it.” Noble said. “I cannot wait to actually experience the class myself.”
Leave a Reply