First Health Careers Connection cohort celebrated

President Dunn welcomed the group to the celebration

The first cohort in a new Health Careers Connection program at Western Michigan University was celebrated Friday, June 30, at a luncheon held at the College of Health and Human Services. The event was held to thank the 12 students and their families who participated and to mark the program's final day of activities for 2017.

WMU President John M. Dunn welcomed students, families, faculty and staff to the event and Provost Timothy J. Greene offered closing remarks to end the event. Matt Lori, WMU alumnus and deputy director of policy, planning and legislative services at the Michigan Dept. of Health and Human Services was the featured speaker.

A highlight of the program was Yuritzi Cruz, who was chosen to speak on behalf of the students. She spoke of her gratitude for being included in the program; her appreciation for the faculty, staff and student employees who made the program possible; and the undeniable challenge of completing six credit hours of coursework in only three weeks.

Yuritzi Cruz, Nancy Cretsinger and Dean Washington

The Health Careers Connection program was designed to improve the diversity, quality and availability of health care in areas of the state with a shortage of qualified practitioners. It is hoped that students will return to their home communities as health care providers after graduating from WMU. 

Dean Earlie M. Washington began her college career in a similar program in Mississippi. The WMU program, announced last March, is recruiting outstanding students who plan to major in a health or human services discipline and come from underprivileged and medically underserved areas in Southwest Michigan.

"We see reports about poor health in underserved communities and insufficient numbers of health care providers in southwest Michigan," said Washington. "This program fulfills a pressing need, while benefiting the college and University, as well as the students and our communities."

Those accepted into WMU's program receive full scholarships that cover tuition, and on-campus housing and meals while earning six hours of academic credit. They are selected from students residing in the 19-county catchment area of the Western Regional Area Health Education Center, which is housed in the College of Health and Human Services.

Nancy Cretsinger, the college's director of academic and student services, says the students in the first cohort are truly exceptional.

"We interviewed many remarkable individuals as part of the selection process for this first cohort," Cretsinger says. "The students in this group have achieved great things academically, and many of them have overcome great challenges to do so. Talking to these students is nothing short of inspirational."

For more information, visit wmich.edu/ahec/programs/connection.

Health Careers Connection 2017 cohort: (back) Emily Markovicz, Wil Henry, Nathaniel Mulder; (middle) Fatima Perez, Isabel Thorne, Emily Baker, Kaylee Nagel; (front) Yuritzi Cruz, Skylar Wingard, Alondra Ruiz, Emma Snook; (not pictured) Alexis Youngblood