VicTory 4 Kidz’s Porter County Youth Healthcare Career Expo kicked off in style on October 8 in Chesterton. The Expo featured over 20 different healthcare leaders, interactive workshops, and lab coats for the over 300 third to fifth graders from the School City of Hobart who attended.
Building off of its highly successful outing in 2023, VicTory 4 Kidz wanted to keep the momentum that it gained while continuing to provide students with an opportunity to gain information on the ever-growing healthcare industry as well as networking opportunities throughout the three-day event.
With the current need for healthcare workers growing by the day, it’s no surprise that VicTory 4 Kidz is so focused on providing opportunities for children to learn about the various career paths that are available today. VicTory 4 Kidz Founder Dr. Regina Beard touched on the importance of introducing children to the vast world of healthcare in her opening remarks.
“That’s what we’re looking to do,” said Dr. Beard. “We’re looking to bring awareness to healthcare careers before they turn 18. We want them to choose healthcare careers. We’re creating a vision. I wish I had known what a respiratory therapist was when I was in high school. I had no idea at all until I was 24 years old, and I want to ensure that we bring awareness.”
LaTina Ashana, a nurse manager for Family Birthing Services at St. Catherine Hospital in East Chicago, also touched on the importance of exposing children to the incredible amount of opportunities in healthcare.
“Healthcare is something that is ongoing,” said Ashana. “We need people to continually go into the field, so it’s better to reach these kids now when they’re at an early age. It’s good to get these kids early on so they can get excited about healthcare and inspire them to enter the field."
Students donned the aforementioned lab coats, practiced CPR on dummies, and explored a wide variety of other interactive booths, running from booth to booth with enthusiasm throughout the expo which featured appearances from Indiana University Northwest, NorthShore Health Centers, Franciscan Health, and Valparaiso University, among others.
Heather Paulson, a fifth-grade teacher at Joan Martin Elementary School, was blown away by the students' response to the expo. Paulson noted just how exciting it is to see the students get engaged in everything VicTory 4 Kidz had to offer.
“It’s super exciting,” said Paulson. “The kids are completely engaged when they walk around the different venues. They’re engaging with them; they’re not just wanting to get a sheet signed. They’re wanting to learn.”
Paulson also highlighted the importance of paving the way for students' interests past elementary and middle school.
“These kids can start figuring out what they want to do now and go into those pathways once they go into high school, even some of the classes in eighth grade. If they’re interested in healthcare, there’s an awesome biomedical program that they can go through at Hobart High School. That really equips them to go into a medical field and further into their college career.”
On top of simply exposing students to the world of healthcare, inspiration was another thing on many minds today at the event. After remarking on how important it was to see students engaged outside of the classroom, Lisa Burger, a fifth-grade teacher at Liberty Elementary School, noted the importance of getting students inspired to learn.
“I think just getting inspired by the different things they see here is good for them at a young age,” Burger said. “That little inspiration in fifth grade could be something that might drive them when they’re in high school.”
VicTory 4 Kidz’s Porter County Healthcare Career Expo will provide more opportunities for students to learn about healthcare over the coming days with middle schoolers coming out to the expo on Wednesday, October 9 and high schoolers coming out Thursday, October 10 to complete VicTory 4 Kidz’s three-day event.
For more information about VicTory 4 Kidz and its mission, visit their website here. If you haven't purchased your tickets for VicTory 4 Kidz's upcoming masquerade gala on October 17, be sure to do so before they're gone!