In December 2022 during the first holiday party of the Health and Human Sciences Society, Penelope Hoyos, president of the HHSC Society said, “we want to build a community open to any students interested in health care”. Over the past few years, the HHSC society has grown to 135 registered members. Along with Hoyos as president, the HHSC Society’s executive board includes Damian Ayala as vice president, Caroline Cooley as secretary, Natalie Hogenboom as treasurer, and Morgan Daniel as Marketing Chair.
Over the past year, the HHSC Society has hosted community-building events, scheduled guest speakers from a range of healthcare fields, and facilitated first aid/CPR courses for Society members. Last spring, the Society hosted a pizza party for students, staff, and faculty to gather. Both students and faculty worked together to make dozens of pizza pies in the Featherston Life Sciences kitchen for nearly 80 attendees.
“We try to include a variety of events throughout the semester in hopes of keeping the students involved and engaged,” said Hoyos. In Fall 2024, they hosted events featuring Athletic Trainer and HHSC instructor Caitlin Ratcliffe and Professor Yong Woo An, who discussed the career path of future athletic trainers and provided some hands-on experiences for the students.
The society also organized a seminar with Dr. David Quam at St. Robert’s Auditorium. Dr. Quam, Director of the Healthcare Systems Engineering program, discussed his experiences as Assistant Executive Director and Chief Medical Officer of the Los Angeles Surge hospital. He highlighted how COVID-19 has changed our approach to healthcare delivery to provide insight into how the healthcare field is continuously evolving. “I want to make certain that we all make the most out of our undergrad career and get to know each other while pushing toward our own individual career goals,” says Hoyos.
At the end of the fall semester, the Society hosted its Christmas Party open to all students, staff, and faculty of HHSC.
“The Annual Holiday Party has become an HHSC tradition, and it exceeded our expectations this year,” says Senior Natalie Hogenboom. “We had a great turnout, and students got a well-deserved break from their studying to spend time with others in the department with an added bonus of holiday treats and activities.”
As they look towards their third year, Caroline Cooley of HHSC Society e-Board indicates the Society will continue building community to strengthen student experiences, establish connections with the local health care community, and host events with guest speakers in various health care careers.
