Health and Careers is a 9th grade course that introduces students to the healthcare field and the many career paths within it. Throughout the class, we learn about different diseases, medical conditions, and health risks while also studying how the human body functions and how healthcare professionals respond to these issues. The course combines class lessons, research projects, and hands-on activities that allow students to explore real-world health topics. Students also complete important assessments such as the Precision Exam and a final culminating project that brings together what we learned about health, medical conditions, and careers in healthcare. Overall, the class is designed to give students a strong foundation in health science while exposing them to possible future career opportunities in medicine.

One of the most memorable parts of this class was the creative projects we completed about different diseases and health risks. Instead of only doing traditional presentations, we sometimes created songs, demonstrations, or other interactive activities to explain how certain diseases work and how they affect the body. My favorite project was when we had to come up with an engaging way to teach students about heart attacks, and my partner and I created a YouTube video to explain its causes, symptoms, and effects. These projects made the material more interesting and helped me better understand the information because we had to teach it in a creative and thoughtful way. Through these experiences, I improved my research, teamwork, and presentation skills while also developing a stronger interest in learning about health and the medical field.

Global Health is a course that explores public health from an international perspective and examines how health issues affect populations around the world. Throughout the class, students study what disease is and analyze how it spreads and impacts different societies. A major focus of the course is understanding how health is closely connected to social and economic development. We examined how environmental conditions, nutrition, lifestyle behaviors, and access to resources can influence a population’s overall health. The course also explored how governments, local communities, and international organizations work together to address global health challenges and improve living conditions. In many lessons, we analyzed real-world data by interpreting tables, graphs, charts, and maps. We also worked with information published by major global health organizations such as the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Bank, and UNICEF. By the end of the course, students gained insight into what careers in global health might look like and the role healthcare professionals play in addressing worldwide health challenges.

This course introduced me to an area of medicine that I had not previously considered but quickly became deeply interested in. By studying how the socioeconomic conditions of different countries influence public health, I began to understand how populations around the world face very different medical challenges. Learning about these disparities helped me realize how factors like poverty, access to resources, and political stability can shape the health of entire communities. I found the field of public health incredibly compelling and developed a strong interest in helping underserved populations. The course opened my eyes to the way social and political conditions can affect not only someone’s economic situation, but also their physical well-being and access to healthcare. It ultimately inspired my goal of working with organizations such as Doctors Without Borders in the future, where I hope to contribute to improving healthcare access for communities that lack adequate medical resources. Overall, this class helped me become more aware of global health issues and strengthened my motivation to pursue a career focused on helping others.

Foundations of Anatomy and Physiology II is the second course in a two-semester lab sequence that continues to build students’ understanding of the human body. Expanding on the concepts introduced in the first semester, this course focuses on additional body systems including the cardiovascular, respiratory, lymphatic and immune, digestive, urinary, and reproductive systems. Students explore how these systems function individually and how they interact to maintain overall health and balance in the body. In addition to traditional quizzes and exams, the course includes a variety of assessments that allow students to demonstrate their understanding in different ways. As a final project, students create models or demonstrations that illustrate a specific anatomical or physiological process studied throughout Anatomy and Physiology I and II.

I enjoyed this course just as much as the first semester of Anatomy and Physiology. It expanded my understanding of the human body and helped me see how all the systems we studied work together as one interconnected structure. Although the material was challenging at times, it was the kind of challenge that made the learning process even more rewarding. By the end of the course, I felt that I could mentally connect the different body systems and understand how they function collectively rather than as isolated parts. Seeing how everything worked together gave me a deeper appreciation for the complexity of the human body. I felt especially proud finishing the course and performing well on the Precision and final exams, which reflected how much I had learned and how strongly I understood the material.

This course focuses on helping students understand the role ethics plays in professional life and decision-making. It begins with an introduction to several philosophical theories that shape modern ethical thinking and then moves into discussions about what it means to act as an ethical professional. Throughout the course, students examine the kinds of dilemmas employees and managers may face in the workplace and learn how leaders can promote honesty, responsibility, and integrity within an organization. The class also explores the tools and strategies professionals use to build and maintain an ethical work culture. As students progress through the course, they are encouraged to reflect on their own values and develop a personal ethical framework that will guide them in future careers.

While many introductory medical programs focus mainly on science, I found this ethics course to be equally valuable in preparing students for the professional world. It emphasized how important ethical reasoning is, especially in fields like healthcare where decisions can directly impact people’s lives. In addition to discussing everyday ethical situations, we also researched and debated complex ethical issues within medicine. I particularly enjoyed the discussion-based format of the class, where we could openly debate topics with our classmates and instructor. Working together to evaluate different perspectives and reach thoughtful conclusions strengthened both our teamwork and critical thinking skills. Another aspect I appreciated was learning about influential philosophers and the ethical theories that guide many professional decisions today. We were often asked to apply these ideas to real world scenarios, which helped us see how philosophical concepts connect to practical decision-making.