Photos by Ansel Oliver and Danielle Taylor Johnston
Loma Linda University Health recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of its Discovery Program, an immersive summer outreach initiative designed to encourage Inland Empire high school students from under-represented minority groups and first-generation college-bound students to pursue careers in health.
The three-week, on-campus program includes two weeks of presentations, hands-on workshops, a research project, and service-learning. The third week of the program allows students to shadow healthcare providers throughout the LLUH Medical Center and outpatient clinics. It also offers college preparation, financial aid recommendations, and involves parents and guardians in the orientation and graduation.
This year’s 71 participants and their families attended a ceremony on July 25 in the Wong Kerlee International Conference Center to celebrate the program’s conclusion. Participants received certificates, heard from a panel of alumni who now work in healthcare, and were inspired with remarks from administrators, staff, and students who volunteered to support the program.
Keynote speaker Daniel Samano, MD, is one of the first graduates of the program as well as a Loma Linda University School of Medicine graduate. Now serving locally as a family medicine physician, Samano shared his healthcare career journey, which included going to his medical school interview on a public bus. After recounting his progression through a letter to his future self into and through medical school, he urged attendees to accept help and mentoring from alumni if they ever need assistance preparing for tests, understanding school applications, or navigating financial aid.
“Sitting in this room are 20 years of stories. They will help you,” Samano told the group.
Juan Carlos Belliard, PhD, assistant vice president and director of the Institute for Community Partnerships, said the Discovery Program has its roots in the 2005 Hispanic outreach program “Sí Se Puede,” which translates from Spanish as “Yes, you can!” It was later combined with outreach programs for Black and Indigenous high school students as the Summer Gateway program. Today the Discovery Program’s mission focuses on helping local students explore health professions, building academic confidence, and envisioning a future in medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and other health fields.
“We started this approach intending to help more students from under-represented groups find their working home here in the Inland Empire,” Belliard said. “We need more healthcare providers from this area to serve the growing healthcare needs in our region.”
The LLUH Discovery Program is coordinated by the office of Community-Academic Partners in Services (CAPS) under the umbrella of the Institute for Community Partnerships.
“I would definitely recommend this program to any others who want to become a nurse or a doctor or just want to check it out,” said high school participant Hailey Hernandez. “It was fun, and it was a learning experience that I would have never wanted to pass up because I met so many new people. I got to see different fields that I may want to go into, and it was very educational. I’m super happy I got into the program.”
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