3rd Street Youth Center Photo 2On Thursday, December 3, the Career Advancement Academy (CAA), welcomed 3rd Street Youth Center & Clinic for a visit and a tour of Skyline College. Six students and their Youth Development Specialist, Kaylaa Banks, were in attendance and had the opportunity to listen to guest speakers from the Guardian Scholars program, SparkPoint and former CAA allied health students, Webster Cruz and Alfredo Raxon. They also had the chance to learn more about health care programs such as Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Central Service Technology (CST), Surgical Technology, Respiratory Therapy, Patient Navigator, Biotechnology, etc. offered here at the college. In addition, they also got to tour the health department and classrooms in Building 7 with Raymond Hernandez, Dean of Math of Science and Technology.

The 3rd Street Youth Center and Clinic’s mission is to help at-risk youth from Bayview Hunters Point make healthy and safe decisions that improve their physical, emotional, and social health, empowering them to become successful, engaged adults. The students have been working closely with their development specialist to explore opportunities in higher education and pursue pathways in the health care industry.

The CAAs connect students to higher wage careers and opportunities in higher education by increasing foundational skills in reading, writing and mathematics while enrolling students in career technical training programs. Currently, the Career Advancement Academy has programs in Allied Health, Automotive Technology, Early Childhood Education, and Legal Careers.

For more information about Career Advancement Academy contact, Jeremy Evangelista, evangelistaj@smccd.edu.

Article by Jeremy Evangelista | Photo by Monique Hernandez