![]() She said that she found the ability to try things out for herself to really see if it was something she enjoyed was an important part of the program. As a middle and high-schooler, Sin said, she was amazed she could sit in classrooms where actual medical students sat and could see herself there one day. She recalled the time spent sitting in the classroom and suturing bananas or taking part in physical therapy classes as eye openers. “I thought it was amazing that people were seeing this on a daily basis and I got more interested in what vision entails and looked more into optometry,” said Sin. That appreciation piqued her curiosity and she began to explore the subject more. She had received a new prescription for her glasses and experienced a new clarity of vision which made her appreciate 20/20 vision, she said. Sin continued with the weekend workshops and inspiration struck her sophomore year of high school. “There’s a lot of choices and it kind of opened my eyes a little bit more.” “I think that in the pipeline, I got more comfortable with all the different professions,” said Sin. With HCL, Sin gave up Saturdays through junior high and high school to explore the opportunity. Sin said she knew early on she wanted to go into the medical field and become a doctor of some kind. Camille Ramos-Beal, the former Palomares principal who is now director of the Health Career Ladder. Before the academy closed in 2022, it was paired with WesternU to foster an interest of science and medicine within the community. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)Īs a middle-schooler, Sin and her family from La Puente to Pomona, where she was enrolled at the Palomares academy. Sin began in seventh grade at Palomares Academy Of Health Sciences, in Pomona, eventually completing her degree at WesternU’s College of Optometry. Sin is a first-generation college student and the first student to complete the entire series of WesternU’s pathway programming. Recent Western University of Health Sciences graduate Crystal Sin, 25, sits on stairs on the Pomona campus on Wednesday, May 17, 2023. Once students have moved their undergrad program, they can join the university’s Summer Health Professions Education Program, which offers clinical experience for prospective health care professionals in dentistry, optometry, general medicine and physical therapy. Currently the program offers exploration in nursing, physical therapy, general medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and veterinary medicine. The program offers workshops once a month for students to explore different medical fields. Sin participated in two pipeline programs which allow students from seventh grade through their undergrad years to participate in classes and events intended to encourage an interest in health sciences.įor junior high school and high school students, WesternU offers the Health Career Ladder. “And I’ve always been very fortunate to have people along the way who have helped me.” “I definitely think the path that I’ve gone down … it’s been a long one, but a very rewarding one,” said Sin, a first-generation college student who graduated May 18. Now, 14 years later, Sin is a newly minted optometrist and the first student to complete WesternU’s entire educational program, beginning with the career ladder and ending with her degree from the university’s College of Optometry. ![]() Crystal Sin was just 12 years old when a Pomona educational partnership opened her eyes to her calling.Īs a seventh-grader at Palomares Academy of Health Sciences, Sin joined the Health Career Ladder, a joint venture between the school and Western University of Health Sciences to promote careers in the medical field.
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