Press Release

Metropolitan Education District 760 Hillsdale Ave San Jose, CA 95136 May 15, 2008

Contact: Michelle Alaimo Communication Specialist (408) 723-6464 malaimo@metroed.net

CCOC Student Selected for Stanford Medical Youth Science Program

Central County Occupational Center (CCOC) Health Occupations student Valeria Flores is off to Stanford this summer for a five-week scholarship with the Stanford Medical Youth Science Program (SMYSP). Flores was one of 24 high school sophomores and juniors selected from a pool of 330 applicants from Central and Northern California.

“I was so lucky to be chosen,” Flores said. “Getting to this point has been the best achievement I’ve had in my life. It is an achievement that makes my family and me very proud.”

The SMYSP Summer Residential Program runs from June 22 to July 27 and is an annual science and medicine based enrichment program open to low-income and ethnically disadvantaged high school sophomores and juniors who live in central and northern California. Flores’ costs, including tuition, books, classroom fees, room and board on the Stanford Campus, are paid for by the program.

The SMYSP program broadens student’s knowledge in science while exposing them to a number of health related careers. Flores, along with the other scholarship winners, will attend lectures given by Stanford professors, staff members, medical professionals, and participate in hospital internships, seminars and workshops. In addition, students receive college counseling and participate in SAT preparation courses and are assigned a Stanford Mentor.

Flores came to the United States from Bolivia one year ago and is an English Learner. The 16-year-old said that attending CCOC’s Health Occupations course taught by Collette Betters is the highlight of her school day. Flores splits her school day between CCOC and Yerba Buena High School.

“CCOC gives you a lot of opportunities that you sometimes don’t get at your home school,” Flores said. “At CCOC, I have learned about a lot of scholarship opportunities and I’m even on the student council.”

Flores said she was fortunate that her parents chose to enroll her and her sister, Alejandra, in a bilingual school in Bolivia. She said her parents wanted to make sure that they had a head start, in the event the family moved to the United States.

In order to qualify for the SMYSP program, Flores completed a rigorous application process which included writing eight essays (between 250-750 words each). The top 100 applicants were interviewed over the phone by one of the Summer Residential Program counselors. The top 45 applicants came to Stanford to participate in several different on-campus interviews over the course of one day.

Flores said that when she learned she was a finalist, she was very happy and her parents cried tears of joy. Her father was pleased that Flores has had so many growth opportunities since moving to the United States. In addition to winning the SMYSP scholarship, Flores recently won a trip to the Rotary Enterprise Leadership Conference in Asilomar. Her team won first prize for developing a fictional product called Pill Sergeant—a bracelet and pill box system that would remind people when to take prescribed medication.

As part of her Health Occupations class, Flores works at Regional Medical Center in the operating room. She said she works in the pre-op or recovery room and has witnessed one surgery.

“I’m interested in medicine because it is a way people can help people and the community,” Flores said. She hopes to one day be a plastic surgeon. With her studies at CCOC and Stanford, Flores is on her way to making that dream a reality.

For more information on CCOC or to schedule an interview with Valeria Flores, contact Michelle Alaimo at 408-723-6464. For more information on SMYSP, visit http://smysp.stanford.edu

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MetroED is the largest career-oriented educational organization in Santa Clara County, comprised of high school and adult occupational, academic and community programs.

MetroED annually provides more than 30,000 diverse students with the skills to help them be productive, income-earning and tax-paying contributors to Silicon Valley.