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Weekend Dreamersby Lori Williams
In many high schools the "Most Likely to Succeed" award winner is obvious early on—the "all A" student, the student government president, the high achiever whose presence is well known to the teachers. But what about the B or C student attending school in a disadvantaged neighborhood? What happens if those kids are given an opportunity to dream big? That's the basis for the Saturday Morning Science Community Outreach Program at Baylor College of Medicine. For Dr. Jim Phillips, senior associate dean, the idea makes perfect sense. "We can't just train those students who come to us. We're not just responsible for Baylor students; we're responsible for the health care of the community," he said. "And the fact is there are too few minority physicians practicing today." The Saturday Morning program got its start in January 2005. Teachers at 15 Houston Independent School District schools choose 10-15 kids who they identify as having some hidden potential. They're not at the top of the class, but with some attention, maybe they could be. The students attend a two-hour session on the BCM campus every Saturday morning for 11 weeks in the spring semester. BCM faculty members teach the students and BCM medical and graduate students mentor them. Session topics range from "Drugs and the Brain" to "Heart Disease Prevention." The final class is a session by Phillips on "Becoming a Competitive Applicant, Summer Research Opportunities & Preparing for College." Dr. Scott Basinger, associate dean for extramural affairs at BCM and an instructor for one of the sessions, said outreach programs like this are very effective. "One of the things that is really clear is that if you're born into a single parent home, where the highest level of education is a high school drop out, where your peer group has no aspirations—it's almost impossible to rise above that and say, 'I'm going to be the one who leaves my neighborhood and becomes a CEO.' "This program says: 'Here's a vision of what you can do,'" Basinger said. Vernesta Jackson, program administrator, works closely with the middle and high school students in the program, their school teachers and the mentors and faculty members at BCM. She describes how the kids change over the course of the semester. That first morning they are not entirely enthusiastic, probably thinking something along the lines of "what am I doing here instead of sleeping late?" "Then Dr. P gets in front of them and is sort of like a cheerleader," she said. "He tells them how this is going to enrich their lives. That they have been specially selected for this. Most of them are engaged after that very first session." |
Patient CareHealthy Living for a Thousand, Alex ResearchFighting Obesity one Molecule at a Time Doctors are from Jupiter, Patients are from Saturn EducationA Lot's Changed in 40 Years... Sort Of Community ServiceAlumni & DevelopmentBuilding BCM and Biochemistry History Following Father's Bedside Manner More than a Street Sign: Advocates for Medicine College NewsAn Artist in the Medical Arena
Educating the Next Generation of Leaders
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Volume 2, Issue 3, Fall 2006 |
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| Last modified: December 27, 2006 |
The Saturday Morning Science Community Outreach Program includes 10-15 kids, chosen by their teachers because they have hidden potential. They're not at the top of the class, but with some attention, maybe they could be.