From all the experiences senior Winni Luong gained from her internships, she was able to learn where her passion lay in the medical field. For Luong, being a pediatrician was an ideal profession because of her fond memories interning at the Boys and Girls Club.
‘Luong’ing to help others
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When senior Winni Luong returns home after a long day at school, she turns on the television to her favorite Netflix program, Grey’s Anatomy. Regularly tuning into the series after school has left an unforgettable impression on her.
The suspenseful surgical processes and moments of achievement depicted on the show inspired her to become a hero like the television doctors. She joined Medical Careers Academy (MCA) her sophomore year to dive deeper into the medical field. Through the program, Luong was introduced to the different types of health-related careers and explored her choices through mentorships, job shadowings, and internships.
“I took advantage of the opportunities MCA gave me and signed up for a Career and Technical Education (CTE) class on emergency medical response,” Luong said. “I honestly thought the class was really helpful [because] I learned more about what to do during emergencies.”
The CTE class taught Luong the fundamentals of becoming an emergency medical responder. She learned how to perform CPR and how to treat heat strokes, seizures, triage, and poison cases.
“I was able to apply the knowledge I gained from the CTE class at the Tournament of Roses Parade where I worked at a first aid station and provided assistance to those who got injured during the parade,” Luong said. “Fortunately, no one was seriously injured at my station, but I did treat a sprained ankle.”
The knowledge she acquired from the CTE class and the Tournament of Roses Parade qualified her to partake in many different internships, including ones at the Atherton Baptist Homes, Dr. Chen’s Obstetrics and Gynaecology (OBGYN) Office, Boys and Girls Club, and Fortanasce Neurology Center.
“From these internships, I was able to explore many different types of health careers and learn about the various types of tests used to diagnose a patient’s condition,” Luong said.
During her time at Atherton, Luong bonded with the elderly and learned about their lives from the stories they told. In Dr. Chen’s OBGYN Office, she did clinical work, and in Fortanasce Neurology Center, she took the blood pressure and pulse of patients. However, none of these internships were an ideal fit for Luong until her internship at the Boys and Girls Club. There, she discovered her passion for taking care of children.
“Interning at the Boys and Girls Club was a great experience because I was able to take care of a bunch of kids and create bonds with them,” Luong said. “The energy and positivity that the kids resonated really made my day.”
