From left, Patricia Melton and Joshua Zuniga at Yale New Haven Hospital
As a child being raised in an immigrant family, Joshua Zuniga had limited access to healthcare.
“My grandmother had many cardiac issues, and she ended up getting open heart surgery to fix her issues,” said Zuniga, a registered nurse at Yale New Haven Hospital’s (YNHH) Smilow Cancer Center.
His family did not have health insurance at the time, and finding a surgeon who was willing to do the operation was difficult.
“When we finally found this one surgeon who said yes to us, it became a really impressionable thing for me,” added Zuniga.
Little did he know, it became an impression that would stick with him until adulthood. Zuniga is now a registered nurse in Women’s Health Services and Oncology Services.
He says his success is owed to a non-profit called New Haven Promise, a program that helps K-12 students prepare for college and the real world. For Zuniga, the program was introduced to him while he was in elementary school. His interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) provided confirmation his future career would be in healthcare.
Rather than learn within a classroom setting, he was able to take his skills outside and into a hospital.
“It’s taught me to articulate better in terms of how I set up my notes, so that it’s in a presentable form for both the patient and medical staff who are part of the care plan,” added Zuniga.
To be accepted into New Haven Promise was no easy feat. Students must maintain a grade of B or above, strong attendance, be a New Haven resident, and commit to 40 hours of community service. Once those requirements are met, students become New Haven Promise scholars and receive robust tuition support towards college.
Yale New Haven Health (YNHH) has played a large role in cultivating a college-going culture through in-school activities as well as community-based engagement.
“A large percentage of the school district contains a lot of students being the first to head to college in their family. It’s immigrant populations, it’s lower-income families and Yale New Haven Health helps those families pave a way to success,” said Patricia Melton, president of New Haven Promise.
Christopher O’Connor, chief executive officer of Yale New Haven Health System (YNHHS), sits on the New Haven Promise board. Yale New Haven Health (YNHH) adopted the 6th grade this year for the 16th Annual Snowball event at Fair Haven School as the healthcare pathway to expose students to opportunities and careers at the hospital.
“All the families come to see this celebration of their kids learning about college and learning about careers through music. The mascots from the colleges also attend and it’s just an exciting winter festival,” added Melton.
Find out more at New Haven Promise.
