Forum offers teen
view of medical world
BY SHERRY CONOHAN
Staff Writer
Patrice Habermann
WEST LONG BRANCH — This week Patrice Habermann, who will be a senior at Shore Regional High School this fall, is getting an inside look at the medical profession that she hopes to be part of in the future.
For 10 days, from last Sunday until July 27, she will be participating in the National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine in Philadelphia, Pa., with 350 other high school students from around the county who have demonstrated academic excellence, leadership potential and an interest in a career in medicine.
They will have the opportunity to hear from and interact with leaders within the medical field and will visit hospitals, clinics and medical schools.
Habermann, who lives on Chestnut Place, said before leaving last week for the Villanova University campus where she will be staying that she was looking forward to seeing "what’s really out there" and to learn from her experience at the forum what she wants to study in college.
She said she definitely wants to major in medicine and to become a pediatrician with a specialty in ADD — attention deficit disorder. Why that?
"Because I have it," she said, "and it’s a struggle for me to get through school and keep my focus. I want to help others just like me."
Habermann said she was particularly interested in seeing what a residency is like. She said she heard about the National Leadership Forum on Medicine through an announcement on the public address system at school and went to the office to get information on how to apply. She has taken a general course of studies at Shore Regional that has included classes in biology and chemistry.
Throughout her three years in high school she has been a cheerleader and, she said, she has been a cheerleader with Pop Warner since third grade. She also is a member of the Interact Program at Shore Regional, which is a community service organization.
This summer she has been working in a summer camp program for underprivileged children operated by the Monmouth County Park System. She goes to Dorbrook Park every morning and from there is transported to Asbury Park or Long Branch to bring activities to city youth.
"Since I am exploring a career in medicine," she said, "I am very excited about the opportunity to attend this medical forum and explore all the various fields within the medical profession."