STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: Warwick High School 12th grader Rudolph Vazquez-Lozada
Student in the Governor's Health Sciences Academy magnet program
Posted: November 19, 2024
Spending high school immersed in healthcare suits Rudolph Vazquez-Lozada perfectly. He plans to work in a medical setting and figured it's never too early to start.
Vazquez-Lozada got interested in all things healthcare after starting treatment for eczema as a child. As he listened to a presentation about the various Magnet and Specialty Programs that Newport News Public Schools offers when he was in middle school, the Governor's Health Sciences Academy at Warwick High School seemed like a natural fit.
"I became really interested because I knew that I was able to gain hands-on activities and experiences with this program, and learn a lot more about healthcare and medicine," Vazquez-Lozada said.
Now a senior and student leader, Vazquez-Lozada visited middle schools this fall to recruit students. He explained the benefits of the GHSA and its three pathways of study - therapeutic services, diagnostic services, and biotechnology research and development.
"Some kids have told me that I've inspired them to continue their pathway through medicine and healthcare," Vazquez-Lozada said. "Because initially they were scared and shy because they thought it was something really hard that they couldn't achieve. I've had some middle school boys be scared of gender norms - because many of them want to be nurses."
Vazquez-Lozada is president of Warwick's chapter of HOSA-Future Health Professionals and founded Warwick's chapter of Student Organ Donation Advocates among many extracurricular activities along with his stellar academic performance. Being at GHSA has led to networking, internships and mentors he couldn't have accessed elsewhere, he said.
The versatile program allows students to earn professional licenses and certificates to qualify them to work immediately after graduation, as well as preparing them for further training or college.
"I'm in the therapeutics strand, which is more hands-on because I do eventually want to become a heart surgeon, more specifically a cardio-thoracic surgeon," Vazquez-Lozada said. "It's a very interesting program that you can do in high school because many of the classes, depending on the pathway you choose, are different topics that you take."
While immersed in the community of his high school program at Warwick, he developed from a shy introverted student into a confident leader, Vazquez-Lozada said. After graduation, he is planning to attend college followed by medical school.
"I've just been really glad to have access to these opportunities and these resources offered at the school," Vazquez-Lozada said, thanking his teachers who are willing to help students with anything and freely share their experiences in the healthcare field to help plan careers and futures.
"I'm just really happy and it's inspiring that we have that here at the Governor's Health Sciences Academy. It's truly amazing that we have teachers like these people."
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