Members of this year’s Pipeline graduation class with (from left) Craig
Loundas, AVP of Penn Medicine Experience; CEO Kevin Mahoney; and
Pipeline academic coordinator Daniel Bryan.
For over a decade, Penn Medicine’s Pipeline Program has helped to transform the lives of high school students in West Philadelphia, showing them that a good education, hard work, and determination can make career dreams come true.
Congratulations to this year’s Pipeline Program graduates listed below, along with the name of the college where they’ll be continuing their education:
Sebleh Alfa – University of Pennsylvania
Shanice Alston – West Chester University
Myianna Carter – Community College of Philadelphia
Najeer Francis – Chestnut Hill College
Phillis Fugah – Penn State – Hazelton
Myanah Martin – Immaculata University
Daje-Ameen Matthews – Muhlenberg College
Elexys McDowell – LaSalle University
December Murphy – University of Virginia
David Owens – Morgan State University
Chuong Pham – Penn State-Abington
Lawrence Pratt, Jr. – Community College of Philadelphia
Nazaarah Satterthwaite – Community College of Philadelphia
Makayla Washington – Undecided
Jalen Wright – Widener University
At this year’s Pipeline graduation and special luncheon, Daniel Bryan, the program’s academic coordinator, congratulated graduates on their many accomplishments, “scholastically, professionally, and personally. I’ve seen a great deal of growth in each and every one of you,” he said. “I’m so proud to be a part of this. It’s a mutual learning endeavor.”
Students in the Pipeline Program graduate high school with college credits and work experience in the Health System under their belts. They also receive professional development and job readiness training. But keeping all these balls in the air is not easy. December Murphy, one of this year’s graduates, spoke about her experiences in the program and how, at one point, she was ready to throw in the towel. “It became too much to deal with — I had reached the breaking point,” she said. When she spoke to Bryan about withdrawing from the program, he advised her to take a leave of absence instead. During that time, “I had to ask myself if I really wanted to stay in the program… and came to the realization that I did.”
Today, Murphy is a confident young woman who will be attending the University of Virginia in the fall. The program, she said, “exceeded everything I had hoped for.”
The program draws students from Boys’ Latin of Philadelphia Charter School, Paul Robeson High School for Human Services, School of The Future, West Catholic Preparatory High School, and William L. Sayre High School. Bryan said that 100 percent of Pipeline participants graduate from high school versus a rate of 70 percent in the general School District of Philadelphia.
Ashley Mason, a 2012 program graduate, entered the program wanting to be a nurse but after spending just one day on a surgical patient care unit, “I never went back,” she said, adding “I was still interested in health care but could not have a clinical position.” She was put into a more administrative role in Medical Affairs and found her niche. Mason recently received an MBA and is now practice manager in Maternal-Fetal Medicine at HUP. “The program,” she stressed, “is an amazing opportunity.”
UPHS CEO Kevin Mahoney offered the graduates simple but sage words of advice in pursuing their career goals.
First, “make sure you hang around with the right people,” he said. “If you say ‘I want to go to the moon’ that person should say ‘I’ll help you build the rocket,’ not ‘that’ll never happen.’ Surround yourself with people who are going to lift you up, not pull you down.”
Second, “don’t give up. Keep pushing forward.” He mentioned the many hardships John Lewis, a congressman and leader in civil rights, endured in his push for equal justice. “Things don’t always go the way you want them to, but stay optimistic. Keep your eyes on the prize.”
Third, he advised the graduates to find a career that they love. “If you haven’t found what you like in life, keep looking. Don’t settle… or do what someone else thinks you should do.”
And finally, while working hard is important to reach your goals, take breaks. “Life goes by pretty fast… try to enjoy it.”