USC School of Pharmacy students welcomed Los Angeles Unified School District middle school students to the Health Sciences Campus on Friday, April 13 for the 20th annual Kids’ Day, a daylong under-the-sea themed event designed to inspire students to pursue healthy lifestyles and careers in the healthcare professions.
110 students from El Sereno Middle School arrived at 9 a.m. to warm greetings by their group leaders. Pappas Quad was decorated for the event with a balloon arch, comic book characters, pop-art action words.
“Kids’ Day is an opportunity for us to welcome middle school students who are interested in science and talk to them, as friends, about a future full of possibilities,” said Kimberly Ly, Kids’ Day coordinator of Skull and Mortar, a student-run honorary service organization founded in 1930. “Our interactive workshops focused on healthy living, substance abuse, and education, honing in on specific challenges these students face.”
After participating in workshop rotations, students participated in a healthcare professions panel with graduate students from USC Mann, USC Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy, USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, and Keck Medicine of USC. Ly noted that the goal of bringing together a diverse group of USC students to talk to middle schoolers and answer their questions was to show, “the breadth of careers available to them in health sciences.”
Students then met on Pappas Quad to enjoy lunch and watch dance performances by School of Pharmacy students.
Skull and Mortar has hosted Kids’ Day every year since 1998 as a way to connect with local students and share knowledge about personal health and the healthcare professions.