photo by: Carter Gaskins/LMH Health

Summer Leadership Academy students, from left, include Juan Carlos Casimiro Mendoza, Lois Xie, Jack Bosh, Munira Yunusah, Sylvia Oparaji, Maia Bradley, Rick Liljestrom and Austin Bradley.

Knowing what career path to take isn’t always easy. Local high school students with an interest in health care can take advantage of a unique opportunity to jump start their careers through the Summer Leadership Academy.

Now in its sixth year, LMH Health collaborated with Lawrence Public Schools and the City of Lawrence this summer to provide an eight-week paid mentorship that introduces high school students to careers in health care and city government. The experience gives students the opportunity to make connections with community leaders. At the conclusion of the program, they also receive a scholarship toward their post-secondary education, funded by gifts to the LMH Health Foundation.

Erica Hill, director of Health Equity and Strategic Initiatives at LMH Health, and director of finance at the LMH Health Foundation, led the development and implementation of the academy.

“The Leadership Academy promotes learning, personal and professional development in an environment that gives students an opportunity to learn and explore,” Hill said.

City Manager Craig Owens attended the Academy’s 2023 graduation ceremony and was impressed. Over the following year, he and Russ Johnson, LMH Health president and CEO, discussed the opportunity for the city to get involved.

“It’s been really inspiring to see what the next generation can offer our community, and we’ll continue to support young people exploring service to others,” Owens said. “We know that if we want an unmistakably vibrant community, it’s critical to invest in the future leaders of our city.”

Hill is thrilled to have the city on board.

“We’re excited to partner with the City of Lawrence this year and provide a wider range of opportunities,” she said. “Academy participants Lois Xie and Maia Bradley have worked with their team and gained a wealth of knowledge.”

To be eligible for the academy, students had to be high school sophomores, juniors or seniors. The application process included submitting a letter of recommendation, academic transcripts, short answers to questions and an in-person interview. Eight participants were selected for this year’s class:

• Austin Drewry, Veritas Christian High School senior

• Jack Bosh, Lawrence High School senior

• Juan Carlos Casimiro Mendoza, LHS senior

• Lois Xie, Free State High School senior

• Maia Bradley, LHS graduate

• Munira Yunusah, FSHS senior

• Rick Liljestrom, LHS graduate

• Sylvia Oparaji, LHS senior

“I heard about the class through my pre-medicine teacher, Ms. Anitha Subramanian, and it sounded like a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Liljestrom said. “I wanted to get insight into the business aspect of a hospital, not just the medical side. I’m attending Washburn next year to study nursing and it seemed like a great fit.”

Bradley hopes to work in law enforcement, and she knows some health training would be beneficial.

“I want to become a detective and I know they need to have some sort of health training,” she said.

Unique experiences

Academy students get to see the inner workings of the health system and the city. Xie shared that learning what goes on behind the scenes has instilled a sense of gratitude for the work being done by professional staff.

“Maia and I attend executive team meetings with the city on Wednesday mornings and talk about what happened at the City Commission meeting the previous night,” she said. “At one of our first leadership meetings at LMH, Russ talked about their mission. Seeing the passion that everyone has to the community has been really inspiring.”

During the program, each student is mentored by leadership executives with the city or LMH Health. This year’s mentors included:

• City Manager Owens

• Jamie Brummell, Post-Surgical Services director

• Nami Stone, Physical Therapy director

• Rebecca Smith, vice president of Strategy and Communications; executive director of LMH Health Foundation

• Richard McKain, senior director of Ancillary and Support Services

• Russ Johnson, president and CEO

• Sheryle D’Amico, senior vice president of Strategic Integration

As Liljestrom was mentored by Smith and McKain, he learned that leadership is a team effort.

“Rich showed me that leadership isn’t about one person making decisions and not caring about their team’s thoughts,” he said. “It’s getting feedback and seeing if a decision works. If it doesn’t work for the team, then I’m not doing my job.”

Job shadowing is another aspect of the academy. It gives the students a firsthand look into an area they might never have been able to see up close. Bosh had the opportunity to see surgeons working in the operating room.

“You get to see how the surgery process works and watch surgeons band together to solve a patient’s problem,” he said. “Normally when we think of surgeries, we don’t think of the personalities and the people behind them. It helps you connect with the people that work at LMH and understand their passions and struggles with their work.”

When Yunusah applied for the academy, she knew that she had an interest in health care but wasn’t sure where to focus her talents. Shadowing provided her with the spark of an idea.

“I shadowed an ultrasound technician and got to see them work with a pregnant patient,” she said. “Watching the tech work was a cool experience, and I think it’s something I might really enjoy.”

Advice for future students

Mendoza has a friend who is already expressing interest in the academy.

“I told her to take the chance and apply. You don’t know what you’ll get out of it, but you will create relationships along the way,” he said. “You’ll learn a lot and build chemistry with others while building your profession.”

Drewry agreed.

“The more effort you put in, the more it will help you in the long run. Don’t try and just float through this experience. It won’t help you as much later in life,” he said.

Xie highlighted the contributions of Hill and LMH Health Foundation team member Becky Swearingen, who provided support for the program.

“Becky and Erica are welcoming and work so hard to provide us with these opportunities. There’s no sort of barrier once you’re here,” she said. “If you need anything, they will help you immediately. I’m so thankful they see the potential in us and are ready to help us succeed.”

— Autumn Bishop is the marketing manager and content strategist at LMH Health, a sponsor of the Lawrence Journal-World’s health section.