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NYAM’s G.I.R.L.S. (Getting into Real Life Science) and Health Professions program got off to a strong start for the 2012-13 school year with a launch event on October 23 featuring guest speaker Cheryl Wills, veteran NY1 news anchor and reporter. The G.I.R.L.S. program is designed to increase the participation of historically underrepresented minority women (African-American, Hispanic, and Native American) in careers in the sciences, medicine, and health professions. The program, which begins with 7th grade, offers girls in East Harlem public schools a wide range of academic support and enrichment.
Joanne De Simone Eichel, Director of NYAM’s Office of School Health Programs (OSHP), welcomed Ms. Wills as the newest member of the OSHP Advisory Committee. She also introduced OSHP’s range of programs and partnerships, including health education in schools, after-school programs with community-based organizations, and two programs (G.I.R.L.S. and Junior Fellows) that build pathways to the health professions.
Gardith Marcelin, PhD, Senior Project Director for G.I.R.L.S., provided an overview of the program’s three main goals: health career development, through hands-on seminars led by minority women professionals in a range of health-related fields; health education and skills development, including first aid and CPR certification; and academic support, through workshops taught by Dr. Marcelin at each school.
“This program is about exercising leadership and doing something above and beyond what’s expected of you at school,” Dr. Marcelin said.
Ms. Wills, exhibiting a commanding yet nurturing presence, encouraged the students to be confident, speak with authority, and most importantly, follow their dreams.
“I dreamed of being a news anchor on TV when I was 12 years old,” Ms. Wills said. “I would be in my house writing news articles in my notebook, and I didn’t know where it would take me—I was just expressing myself.”
The next year, Ms. Wills’ beloved father, a fireman, died in a motorcycle accident. Although this tragedy would alter her life forever, she never let go of her childhood dream. Today, at age 46, she has found success and fulfillment as an award-winning news anchor, reporter, and published author—everything she dreamed of as that 12-year-old writing news stories in her notebook, and much more.
“Things happen to us all, and we have to learn, whatever happens to you, hold on and protect your dream,” Ms. Wills told the students.
Ms. Wills invited the girls to join her, one at a time, in the front of the room, to share their dreams with her and their classmates. Many of the students were shy, and Ms. Wills had to ask them to speak up in order to be heard—but once they did, they shared an impressive array of career ambitions. A pediatrician. A veterinarian. A lawyer. A singer.
Ms. Wills stressed that the girls should “be ready” when opportunities come their way to work toward their dreams. The aspiring singer, Penda, took this to heart; when Ms. Wills asked her to show off her talents, the diminutive vocalist launched into an impressive rendition of Adele’s song “Someone Like You.” Penda is following in the footsteps of her older sister, Madina, who also participated in the G.I.R.L.S. and Junior Fellows programs at NYAM.
Each student left with a copy of Ms. Wills’ book, Die Free, which tells the story of her great-great-great grandfather, a slave who fought in the Civil War. In another example of following her dream, Ms. Wills recounted that she endured rejection upon rejection from publishers until she found a small publishing house in Minneapolis, Bascom Hill, that was willing to take a chance on her book. The result? Die Free became one of the fastest-selling books on Amazon.com, and Ms. Wills has traveled around the world talking about it.
The next event for the G.I.R.L.S. program was a health careers seminar on November 13 that introduced the students to the field of nutritional science and included a hands-on healthy snacking activity.
Posted on November 16, 2012
Contact:
Andrew J. Martin
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The New York Academy of Medicine
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amartin@nyam.org
Reporters: to arrange interviews with NYAM medical and urban health experts, contact
Andrew J. Martin, Director of Communications
212-822-7285 / amartin@nyam.org
The 2012-2013 Duncan Clark Lecture - The Affordable Care Act: An Insider’s View
Featured Speaker: Sherry Glied, PhD, former Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
November 19, 2012 - The NYAM Section on Health Care Delivery welcomes Sherry Glied, PhD, former Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, who will deliver the 2012-2013 Duncan Clark Lecture on "The Affordable Care Act: An Insider's View."
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The New York Academy of Medicine with support from the New York State Heath Foundation released a new report, Federal Health Care Reform in New York State: A Population Health Perspective.
This report identifies opportunities that build on both the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act (ACA) and New York’s ongoing efforts toward improving the health of its 19 million residents.
Read press release
Read report
