Mapping a path to success for first-generation immigrant students
Karen Andes, second from right, with three students, the Consul General of Mexico (far left), and a participating physician at MAPA's closing ceremony.
Dinenson Cortez, a high school senior, spent his summer shadowing a physician treating HIV patients at the Grady Infectious Disease Clinic. Classmate Selina Rodriguez interned at CIMA International Women's Health Services, taking vital signs, copying doctor's notes, and prepping exam rooms. And another classmate, Salma Ignacio, helped out in the front office of Blue Creek Dental.
Cortez, Rodriguez, and Ignacio were among 23 students participating in the Mexican-American Participatory Assessment (MAPA) Project. Conceived and implemented by Karen Andes, assistant professor of global health, MAPA places low-income, first-generation Latino immigrants in health services-related internships. The goal is twofold: give this cohort the training and experience to land an entry-level job after high school to help them pay for college, and help fill the need for more bilingual, bicultural health care professionals in Georgia.
Just finishing up its second year, the project recruits students from Atlanta's Cross Keys High School, which is about 80 percent Hispanic. Over the course of a month, the students go through a youth development program that helps them visualize positive futures and assess strengths and interests. Then the students receive three days of intense training in skills ranging from office etiquette to communication, and from medical terminology to recording and interpreting vital signs. Finally, the students are placed with outpatient clinics, academic hospitals, and local health providers, where they work four days a week over two months in the summer. One day a week, they meet at the Mexican Consulate of Atlanta for additional training.
Funded by a grant from CIGNA Foundation, the students are paid for their time as they gain marketable skills. The students who went through MAPA said it was a confidence builder, improved their communication skills, and was their first exposure to working in a professional setting. These comments were echoed by their supervisors.
One student, Daniela Ramirez, was awarded a Posse scholarship, a four-year, full-tuition scholarship for low-income students who might have been overlooked by traditional college selection processes. A member of the selection committee told Ramirez her experience with MAPA played a role in her selection. She is headed to George Washington University this fall.
"The whole goal of this program is to give these kids a leg up on the path to success," says Andes. "Daniela is a great example of how we were able to do that."
