Over two weeks, the pre-college summer program explored 10 healthcare disciplines through academic practice and hands-on learning. While staying on campus, students earned two Quinnipiac University college credits, discovered degree programs matching their skills and interests, learned about career opportunities within the allied health professions and acquired several industry educational training certificates.

“It’s rigorous, but we also make it engaging and fun for them as they’re exploring healthcare as a career and a profession,” said academy co-advisor Tracy Van Oss.

Van Oss and academy co-advisor Karen Majeski are professors of occupational therapy at the School of Health Sciences. Van Oss is the doctoral capstone coordinator in the occupational therapy department and Majeski is the director of the Doctor of Occupational Therapy Program.

This was their first year leading the pre-college summer program which has been offered at Quinnipiac for several years.

“Tracy and I reached out to our colleagues at the School of Health Sciences to ask them what type of offering they could provide, and each different program put together a beautiful two to three-hour activity, so it really was a group effort,” said Majeski.

Students also met with Quinnipiac President Marie Hardin to learn how to polish their elevator pitches, while Chief Experience Officer Tom Ellett guided them in writing concise application letters for internship and shadowing experiences.

As they explored different healthcare professions, the students engaged in skill-building experiences including measuring vital signs, performing suturing techniques, clinical lab anatomy and dissection, acquiring bench research skills with DNA testing, gait and transfer training, fabrication of custom orthoses and splints, diagnostic imaging, nutrition/dietary education involving hands-on cooking and much more. They also earned industry certificates for courses completed in Basic First Aid and CPR, Stop the Bleed, Teen Mental Health First Aid and Dementia Friends.

During a field trip to Hartford Healthcare’s Center for Education, Simulation and Innovation (CESI), students viewed a live surgery, met with Life Star crew at the helipad and worked with hospital professionals to practice newly acquired skills in simulations ranging from robotic surgery to suturing and CPR. Students earned a certificate of participation following their day at CESI.

Bobcat alumna Genesis Camejo ’26 and seven Quinnipiac student counselors helped Van Oss and Majeski to support all academy experiences during the two-week program.

“They’re great role models for our students. They can give them the college perspective as well as being counselors who are there to assist them with overall enjoyment and safety during their time at camp,” said Majeski.

Camejo said she felt the academy’s two-credit healthcare exploration course created an impactful opportunity for the high school students.

“The class they took for college credit was actually the same class that made me decide to double-major in psychology and health science and go into genetic counseling,” Camejo said. “Being able to see every student find the thing that speaks to them, the same way that genetic counseling spoke to me, has been very special.”

Working with high school students has been an amazing experience for first-time counselor Peyton Spalthoff ’29. Spalthoff plans to launch her career as a forensic social worker after earning her Quinnipiac degree in psychology with a minor in criminal justice.

"This camp gives them the opportunity to really explore career paths and have fun. The program is so good that it’s also let me explore more of what I could do as someone who’s already in college,” Spalthoff said.

Sixteen-year-old Lauren Sesta of Middletown, Connecticut said she’s always wanted to study health science and wanted to learn more about her choices before choosing a major in college.

“I think it was very beneficial for me to understand the different parts of health science. I really enjoyed going to hospital settings and being able to try different kinds of professions,” said Sesta.

Samuel Rogers, 16, of Westchester County, New York, came to the academy to help pinpoint his interest in medicine.

“I want to go into something in emergency medicine, so coming here and learning what to do in an emergency with CPR and AED [Automated External Defibrillator] was really important,” Rogers said. “This was the perfect outlet to find out what we wanted to do by going into the different career choices. I just think this experience was such a benefit to my future and in general.”

After hearing about the academy during a Quinnipiac spring tour, Lucas Harry, 16, said he joined the summer program to boost his resume and get a feel for college life, including staying in a dorm for two weeks. While exploring careers, the Wolcott, Connecticut resident resonated with a diagnostic imaging simulation at the School of Health Sciences.

“I got a good taste of radiology, which is what I want to do in the future,” Harry said.

Lead counselor and psychology major Grace Locasto ’27 said attending the academy when she was 16 helped to lock in Quinnipiac as her school of choice. She’s now in her second year as a pre-college summer program counselor.

“Going to this camp was one of the reasons I made the decision to go to Quinnipiac. I wanted to see the campus and what the programs were, and I ended up really enjoying it,” said Locasto.

Many connections Locasto forged with School of Health Science faculty during her academy experience have continued.

“I love this program because it’s amazing to see connections being built at such a young age, and they get to learn so much. It’s truly an experience they wouldn’t get otherwise from other schools,” Locasto said.

During a special closing ceremony with families in attendance on July 17, School of Health Sciences Associate Dean Colleen Thompson helped Van Oss and Majeski congratulate the high schoolers on passing the college credit course and completing the program.

“I met your students on day one, when they might have been a little nervous,” Thompson said. “I assured them they were going to have fun and learn a lot; and now as we say goodbye, they’re smiling and excited. I hope to see many of you as future Bobcats.”

Counselors presented each student with a certificate while reading a personal philosophical statement written by the student.

Congratulating her son after the ceremony, Trumbull, Connecticut mom Jennifer Baglio said she felt this pre-college experience gave him a sense of independence and a clearer understanding of healthcare careers.

“After this, he knows he still wants to be in the healthcare field, which is great; and it narrowed down some of the fields that he’s more passionate about, which was wonderful,” said Baglio.

“I just wanted to get a better understanding of different careers — what to eliminate and what to keep in my pocket for the future,” said Nicholas Baglio, 15. “Overall, it gave me a better understanding of everything, and I think experiencing what the college kids experience here was really rewarding.”