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Posted on: 7/31/2024
From a young age, both Sanaa Daeton and Mikayla Harlin, rising ninth graders, knew they wanted to go into the medical field.
Daeton wants to be an anesthesiologist, and Harlin wants to be a neurosurgeon.
“When I was little, I knew I wanted to do something that would help someone else,” said Harlin. “I chose to be in the medical field because I can use my kindness and respect to hopefully make [patients] feel more at ease. I can also use my logical skills to come up with solutions to help others.”
Harlin and Daeton both will attend Hawthorne Academy of Health Sciences in August, and thanks to an investment from Bloomberg Philanthropies, they will be one step closer to achieving their career dreams.
Earlier this year, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and Atrium Health announced a partnership to enhance Hawthorne’s curriculum, launching an early college program that will help prepare students for well-paying careers in health care. Bloomberg Philanthropies invested $26.3 million to support Atrium Health, Atrium Health’s Carolinas College of Health Sciences and Hawthorne in co-developing the curriculum.
Students will experience robust academic programming, specialized health care classes and work-based learning — coupled with the opportunity to earn industry-valued credentials and certifications, along with traditional high school learning.
In ninth and 10th grades, students will participate in job-shadowing and practice their skills in simulation labs. Starting in the 11th grade, students will have access to paid health care internships and professional mentoring, among other work-based learning experiences.
“This will be the first cohort to experience the Bloomberg investment,” said Candi Showalter, Career and Technical Education instructional facilitator. “When students have a love for health science and they enter this school, it really sparks their joy and the possibilities of what their life could be. This turns out to be a dream come true for a lot of them.”
Founded in 2006, Hawthorne has established itself as a flagship health care magnet program in CMS. Daeton and Harlin both attended Freshman Connection at Hawthorne, a two-week summer program for rising ninth graders to experience high school before the first day of school. Through the program, Daeton and Harlin got a taste of what Hawthorne has to offer by participating in several activities like dissections, Stop the Bleed and CPR.
“I chose to attend Hawthone because it will jump-start my career in the medical field,” said Daeton. “I also knew that being in the hospital would allow me to see if I truly enjoyed what I wanted to do and if it’s the right field for me.”
“It’s always amazing to be able to learn something that you aspire to be or something about what you aspire to do,” said Harlin.
This partnership will create an opportunity for students to gain direct work experience and access to attractive jobs within the health system immediately following graduation.
“I would definitely recommend this program to other students if this is something they want to pursue or they think they want to pursue,” said Daeton. “And not only does Hawthorne provide something for health services, but they also provide opportunities for everyone. That’s what Hawthorne is here for – to help students be better for the future.”
