Caring Amidst Crisis | Issue 2022

As a first-grade Girl Scout, Sydney Vaughn had the privilege of dissecting a sheep’s eye. “I was instantly drawn to anatomy,” remembers Sydney, now a Valley Christian senior. “The practice of medicine became my life goal.”

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In the years since, Sydney’s scientific passions have shifted from veterinary to human, but her vision remains clear with all due respect to the sheep’s eye.

“I believe that my purpose in life is to care for others,” she says. “As I learn more about the human body, with all of its complexity, I discover more and more the intent God has for all human beings.”

Thanks now to Valley Christian’s Health & Wellness program – one of the newest and fastest-growing programs within Applied Math, Science, and Engineering (AMSE) – medically-minded students like Sydney have expanded opportunities to engage in impactful new experiences.

“AMSE Health & Wellness is specifically designed to help students foster a strong connection between the head knowledge that is learned in the classroom and the heart drive that is needed to serve and love people well,” explains Mrs. Jennifer Gerlach, a VCHS science teacher who helped launch and now leads the program.

In the past year, Health & Wellness has partnered with CityTeam Ministries for outreach and service efforts; students have begun working with outside organizations to learn how to train service dogs; and in the 2022-23 school year, the program expanded into Valley Christian Junior High, and high school students will soon have opportunities to shadow medical professionals.

Ultimately, Mrs. Gerlach hopes to create a pair of distinct tracks within the program: one focusing on medicine and allied healthcare and one focusing on medical missions and social justice.

“Scientific subjects, without an outward, service-minded approach, are meaningless,” she says. “It’s through the marriage of these topics with a heart for humanity that makes this work impactful.”

Perhaps never in these students’ lives have health and wellness issues been more salient. Current high school seniors were freshmen when COVID-19 upended their high school trajectories. Students are still recognizing the effects nearly three years since the initial school shutdown.

“The pandemic pushed many into a precarious state of health – some physically, some mentally,” says senior Allison Bang, who, like Sydney, is one of the Health & Wellness Program Fellows. “The importance of managing our bodies has been elevated, really emphasizing the importance of health and wellness as people learn how to better take care of themselves.”

While certainly not exclusive to students who dream of medical careers, many in the program do plan on pursuing health sciences after high school: both Sydney and Allison plan on going into fields of medicine. They explained how volunteering at a Health Fair for the homeless in downtown San Jose in April galvanized them. Sydney and Allison realized the incredible benefits of their work. Alongside family members and workers from CityTeam and the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, VCHS Health & Wellness students distributed hygiene kits and warm food while providing free medical care.

“My students are brilliant visionaries with a heart for service,” declares Mrs. Gerlach. “My favorite part of this program is watching students dream about what our broken world can be someday. They are an inspiration.”

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