Twelve seniors crossed the stage for the first time wearing graduation cords representing completion of the Westerville City School District’s Health Pathway program. The pathway, which began in 2014, consists of courses from both the Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Biomedical program and Columbus State Community College classes offered through the College Credit Plus (CCP) program. Students had to successfully complete six of eight course options in the pathway to be recognized. Seniors earning this distinction include: Victoria Kuchan, Kaitlyn Moore, Virag Vasko, and Nathan Vititoe from Westerville Central High School; Faduma Abukar, Raymond Diep, Hannah Larkins, Nathan Phillips, Rebecca Powell, Natalia Tauro, and Samantha Wood from Westerville North High School; and Lindsay Zucker from Westerville South High School.
Some of those seniors also make up the group of 17 students who passed a sequence of five classes that are part of the CCP program and thus earned an industry credential, a Clinical Laboratory Assisting Certificate. Students took four courses (Medical Terminology, Basic Concepts in Healthcare, Lab Theory for Health Industries, and Introduction to Medical Coding and Reimbursement) at either Westerville Central or Westerville North High School as part of CCP. They completed the fifth course, Lab Techniques for Health Industries, at Columbus State Community College’s main campus. The Clinical Laboratory Assisting Certificate is designed to provide exposure to the clinical laboratory techniques and procedures needed in entry-level laboratory jobs.
This certificate benefits students who are interested in a healthcare career and would like to learn more about the clinical laboratory. Westerville students with this credential are now able to and are applying for jobs at hospitals around Central Ohio. Students were recognized last month at Columbus State Community College and received a small token for their accomplishments. Pupils earning this distinction include: Molly Bloor, Kathleen Curran, Macy Jaros, Logan Kocka, Victoria Kuchan, Kaitlyn Moore, Nathan Vititoe, and Jonathan Zhu from Westerville Central High School; Raymond Diep, Madison Jones, Samantha Keller, Jordyn Kneice, Rebecca Powell, Natalia Tauro, and Samantha Wood from Westerville North High School; and Katherine Clark and Lindsay Zucker from Westerville South High School.
Natalia Tauro, a senior at Westerville North, also received Columbus State Community College’s Future Scientist Scholarship. This prestigious, full-ride scholarship allows Tauro to earn an Associate of Science Degree from CSCC and then transfer to The Ohio State University to complete a Bachelor of Science degree in microbiology. Whether in a hospital, research or forensics setting, she plans to pursue a career in a medical laboratory. Tauro originally enrolled in the Health Pathway CCP courses to see if she really had an interest in health-related careers. Not only did she enjoy and excel in the classes, but she has already put her Clinical Laboratory Assisting certificate to use. Tauro secured a job as a Lab Assistant at a Nationwide Children’s Hospital Close to Home facility. She will gain valuable work experience this summer and will continue to apply her knowledge as she works there while continuing classes next year.