As we approach the final stretch of Summer Discovery, learners delved into even more career pathways and heard from industry leaders that inspired their strategic side. This week, learners focused on innovation for their community readiness skill and explored career pathways in health care. Pittsburgh learners also spent a day centered around youth mental health and gained insight and skills to serve them for a lifetime.
At the end of the week, Pittsburgh and Central PA cohorts joined together for a Summer Discovery highlight — a trip to the Penn State University Park and Altoona campuses. It was definitely a week to remember!
Health Care and Community Pathways
In Pittsburgh, all 45 learners came together for an exciting lineup of trips and workshops. On Monday, the group traveled to Bidwell Training Center — a technical school that offers no-cost programs in a range of disciplines. They toured the facility and learned about the five job-focused programs Bidwell offers. In the afternoon, they visited the STAR Center at AHN, located at West Penn Hospital — a learning and research environment for health care professionals and students. There, learners got to check out the state-of-the-art equipment and participate in training exercises (like delivering a baby!).
Learners in Pittsburgh also took a trip later in the week to Highmark’s downtown office for a mini CPR class, a session on how to apply and use an AED, and a Career Pathways workshop. They met with Alex Matthews and learned the instructions for CPR and other lifesaving skills.
“I didn’t realize how fast a baby’s heart rate is.” — Snigdha, Pittsburgh Learner
Bonus guest speaker in Pittsburgh: Jackie Erickson, Senior Director of Government Affairs for Allegheny Conference on Community Development, joined learners at the Energy Innovation Center (home to the Readiness Institute) to talk about Build Back Better Pittsburgh — a framework for investing in technology and innovation in Southwestern Pennsylvania.
In Central PA, learners in the Altoona and Johnstown cohorts visited some great sites in the community. First up for Altoona was a tour of the lab and farm at Lampire Biological Laboratories. They got to experience how animal blood is used in the medical field for pharmaceutical and diagnostic purposes. Johnstown learners visited Somerset Hospital, JARI (Johnstown Area Regional Industries), and Sourceree, a technology solutions company.
On-site in the classroom, Johnstown learners welcomed guest speaker Angela Yoder, Clinical Director at R.E.A.C.H counseling, who talked about how they could better themselves with positive mindful exercises. They also heard from Brianna Tallentire from UPMC about general procedures, such as handwashing and stopping the bleed, they can use to keep themselves and others safe and healthy. The Altoona crew welcomed Josh Lightner from LaRocco Counseling and Jessica Bressler from UPMC.
Mental Health Literacy Project
A major high point of the week for Pittsburgh learners was a day of workshops focused on the Mental Health Literacy Project, hosted by Matt Crutchman from Penn State Extension/4-H in Allegheny County. During the workshops, learners had an opportunity to talk openly and honestly about mental health — their own struggles, dealing with family and friends, and ways they cope. The team helped students recognize signs and symptoms of different mental illnesses, learn new techniques to manage, and more. Students got to hear from Avery, one of our 2023 Summer Discovery learners, who spoke with them about her mental health journey and how she’s leveraging her experiences to create positive change for others, thanks in part to the connections that she made during her time in the program!
“I enjoyed being able to learn and expand my knowledge on the mental health epidemic that is going on in our country, especially in teenagers. I believe that there are a lot of stigmas and stereotypes around mental health and being able to become ‘literate’ in that area has changed the way I view the subject.” — CJ, Pittsburgh Learner
Penn State Campus Trip
On Thursday, learners from Pittsburgh and Central PA visited Penn State Altoona and Penn State University Park. At the Altoona campus, they heard from the admissions team and toured campus — which has about 2,500 students each year. Then they headed to the University Park campus — which has more than 40,000 undergraduate students — to check out the Spend a Summer Day program.
Learners got to tour campus, residence halls, recreation facilities, and student centers and hear from faculty, staff, and current students.
Some favorite moments of the trip included: eating Penn State Berkey Creamery ice cream, visiting with Vice President for Penn State Outreach Larry Terry, and taking a trip to the Pegula Ice Arena!
With only one week left of Summer Discovery, anticipation is high for what lies ahead. The final week promises to be filled with more exciting activities, valuable lessons, and opportunities for personal growth. As we wrap up this transformative journey, we look forward to celebrating the achievements of our learners and reflecting on the incredible experiences shared throughout the program.
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Pittsburgh
Central PA
