The intensive program connected students with professional mentors and peers from other schools, offering opportunities to collaborate, ask questions and consider how their interests might translate into future careers.
Working in multi-school teams, participants developed ideas for artificial intelligence-enabled solutions addressing real-world patient challenges in cardiovascular disease, immunology, breast cancer and prostate cancer.
The projects encouraged students to consider how technology could help address problems affecting patients. They also provided a setting for practicing teamwork, communication and creative problem-solving while learning from professionals.
Novartis mentors represented digital innovation, marketing, finance and medicine. That range introduced students to the different areas of expertise involved in a healthcare company’s work, broadening the experience beyond a single career path.
Students also heard from guest speakers representing healthcare, finance, business, education and science. Discussions focused on goal setting, taking initiative and academic planning, connecting the program’s activities with decisions students will make about their education and careers.
The mentoring experience combined career exploration with opportunities to build professional connections and transferable skills. Working alongside students from other schools added another dimension, requiring participants to exchange ideas and collaborate with new teammates.
For the district’s 14 participants, the program offered a chance to explore unfamiliar fields, learn directly from working professionals and approach complex challenges together.
The district celebrated the students’ participation as an interactive experience that helped prepare them for future educational and career opportunities.
