Providing Students With Immersive Health Care Experience

FACES for the Future, a program of the Public Health Institute, provides hands-on workshops, professional certifications and internships that introduce high school students to healthcare professions.

In the summer of 2025, 15 San Lorenzo Unified School District (SLZUSD) students participated in the immersive FACES Public Health Youth Corps program hosted by PHI’s FACES for the Future.

Students got the chance to build community through team-building activities and community discussions pertaining to public health within their community, as well as substance misuse awareness and education. They received a glimpse into the world of healthcare through various hands-on workshops provided and led by healthcare professionals. Students were also trained and certified in CPR, Stop the Bleed, Mental Health First Aid and Narcan.

Students also experienced visiting different hospital facilities around the Bay Area, such as Samuel Merritt University, where many of their trainings were held in Oakland, and UCSF, where they learned about the Program in Medical Education for the Urban Underserved (PRIME-US) program—a five-year track at the UCSF School of Medicine and the UC Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program for students committed to working with urban underserved communities. PRIME program.

Within the five weeks of the program, the students were equipped with the proper fundamentals to serve as public health advocates in their communities. They learned and were able to teach back, while in the program, as they completed a Public Health Research project and a Substance Misuse project that they later presented to their parents and larger community. Students received tangible experiences and skills that they can carry on and exercise as they continue their journey in pursuit of a career in health care.

A version of this impact story was originally shared in a FACES for the Future newsletter.