Meet Robynne Oliver. Robynne attends Skyline High School in Oakland and is a student in Alameda Health System’s (AHS) HealthPATH program. HealthPATH is a workforce development initiative of AHS that prepares youth and young adults for healthcare careers.
“In the past, I was kind of torn. I knew I wanted to do politics or the medical field.
My mother is a police officer. My dad used to be a police officer but now is in law. I am in student government and have had opportunities on the political side. When I came to HEAL it opened me up to the possibilities of health care.
I loved the intensity of the hospital. Being at the hospital, I felt the gratification of seeing and making somebody get better. That is kind of rare, when the good outweighs the bad.
I procrastinate a lot and work well under pressure, often getting my schoolwork done at the last minute, because I would hang out with my friends after school. Once I got into this program I realized I need to focus. In order to be a health professional, you can’t be self-centered. You have to make sure that your personal life is set, because when you come into the hospital you have to be emotionally available to help someone else.
When you find out what you want to do in life, you work hard to achieve that goal. I now know I want to go to a four-year university and medical school. Helping people in health care, like helping my community become a safer place, definitely connects both the medical and the political.” ~Robynne
Through internships and other work‐based learning experiences at AHS’s network of hospitals and wellness centers, HealthPATH exposes young people to career opportunities in the healthcare field while promoting academic excellence and teaching skills for life success. HealthPATH’s ultimate goal is to cultivate a pipeline of diverse and culturally competent healthcare workers who will become the future workforce of AHS.
To learn more about Robynne and other HealthPATH students visit the Oakland Youth Story Bank Website.