The Pre-Health Club

by Annette Reyes and Juan Banda
Features Editor and Times Staff Writer
If you’re looking into having a career in the medical field, joining SEHS’s Pre-Health Club could be the next big step to reach your dreams.

South East High School is known for having a countless number of clubs or groups that touch many students’ interests. Now there is a new club that catches a different kind of interest; it is the Pre-Health Club. This club focuses on giving students a hands-on experience and exposure to the competitive medical world.

A student here at SEHS, Guadalupe Davila, who wants to be a nurse, decided to begin the Pre-Health Club to gather up all students that have the same dream of being a part of the community that saves people’s lives. With the help and support of Ms. Koenig and Ms. Olvera, they were able to successfully form a club that focuses on the medical field. The club meets Wednesdays during lunch in D207 with Olvera and Koenig as the advisors. Even though there are currently only six members, they have been providing a huge amount of support, time, and supervision for the club members. The club does not only consist of medical techniques, but also includes activities that are provided by Nurse Kalam, who dedicates her time to assist the Pre-Health Club.

Koenig says the students will be learning how to check blood pressure, vital signs, diseases and treatments, CPR, and first aid. They are also planning on having a health fair next year and hope to attend a Chicanos/Latinos for Community Medicine conference, which is associated with UCLA.

Many SEHS students have the dream of being a nurse, doctor, or pediatrician like Laura Briseno. Briseno is proud to be part of the Pre-Health club because she is given the opportunity to learn basic techniques like taking blood pressure and CPR. Sabrina Ponce, senior and a member of the club, says, “I hope to learn of all these opportunities and I feel the club is definitely benefitting everyone in it.”

Spending a bit of your time in this club can be very beneficial to your future. Olvera says, “I believe that the club can help students reach their goal in the medical field because they get early exposure to the activities that take place there.” Some challenges are not having enough money and materials to put the club to its best use for SEHS students. The one piece of advice that Olvera gives to SEHS students and to the club members is to, “focus on graduating with good grades because positions are competitive. Prepare to succeed.”

According to Koenig, anyone who would like to join the Pre-Health Club is more than welcomed to join.