Aaliyah Zuniga, a senior at Bremen High School in Midlothian, handed out produce and vegetable plants, along with information about food pantries and assistance programs recently at TCA Health in Dolton.
She was there as part of a hands-on program for students interested in healthcare careers.
“I liked that we all got to get an insight into the medical field,” said Zuniga, who hopes to one day become a nurse working with newborn babies.
She was one of 19 students from Bremen High School District 228 to take part in the Cook County Department of Public Health’s Community Healthcare Worker High School Pipeline Program, which is in its second year. Students did training with the Sinai Urban Health Institute during the spring of 2026. Eight students then continued into a six-week summer internship, which took place from June 22 through July 31.
“At the clinic, we learned about HIV tests they offered. It was cool to see how they did it,” said Zuniga, who lives in Midlothian, where the school is located.
Zuniga said the program was also a way to pursue her interest in public health as it relates to her community.
“It takes the whole community to improve everyone’s health,” said Aaliyah. “We would have to work together to have healthier lives.”
Along with TCA Health, the interns worked at Arab American Family Services in Worth and Family Christian Health Center in Harvey. They also received hands-on lessons in CPR/AED, first aid, stop the bleed, and trauma-Informed care.
The program was funded this year by Bremen School District 228, Cook County Department of Public Health and the Michael Reese Health Trust after last year’s funding from the Centers for Disease Control wasn’t renewed.
Through the program, students from Bremen, Tinley Park and Hillcrest high schools also made a video about the dangers of vaping. It was overseen by Efrat Stein, the Cook County Department of Public Health’s director of public health communications and was part of a larger public health campaign addressing vaping. The students participated in production, acting and speaking roles.
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“Efrat provided students with an opportunity to explore the many layers of public health communication and understand how health messages are developed and delivered to different audiences,” said Xandria Hair, associate program director at the county health department, who oversaw the program with the district and students. “The experience demonstrated that young people are not simply audiences for public health messaging; they can also be creators, communicators, and partners in shaping messages that resonate with their peers.”
Hair said the program helped students better understand public health and related careers, also earning some college credit.
“What has impressed me most is their willingness to give public health a chance and to use their voices to positively influence their peers and communities,” said Hair. “They brought fresh, innovative ideas and perspectives that challenged us as professionals to think differently about how we engage young people and communities.
“I was also particularly impressed by the humility and openness this group of young people brought to public health,” said Hair.
Renee Mack, director of career readiness for District 228, said district officials decided the training and internships would be a good bet after seeing student interest in health care soar.
“The district saw so many students wanted to go into healthcare and this as an avenue to get into a health care pathway,” said Mack. “I’m super proud of the students for taking the challenge to do the training. They’re really dedicated to their future healthcare pathway.”
Ryan Red, a junior at Bremen High School who lives in Midlothian, said he had always been interested in healthcare and thought the program “would be a nice start for me.” He said he learned some basic healthcare tasks but also lessons, such as never accepting gifts from patients.
Christopher Roman, a senior who lives in Markham, said the program taught him how to handle certain situations in the healthcare field, such as letting a trusted colleague know if they were going to a patient home where they might feel unsafe. Plus they learned more about handling patient outreach.
For Analy Calderon, a Bremen senior who lives in Midlothian, her interest in the medical field came naturally.
“I like to help people,” she said.
Janice Neumann is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.