Every Experience Matters to a Child with a Dream

June 30, 2023

Do you remember a childhood experience that shaped your life or guided your path forward? It likely didn’t include viewing human specimens, but for some who dream of a career in medicine, that is exactly the type of defining experience that inspires future achievement.

Students in the Palm Beach County School District’s Medical Sciences Academies are afforded rare opportunities to build advanced knowledge and skills long before graduating high school. Palm Health Foundation supported one such opportunity in 2017, when we awarded a small grant to support more than 500 Roosevelt Middle School students to view real human specimens at the OUR BODY: The Universe Within exhibit at the Cox Science Center and Aquarium.

The OUR BODY exhibit provided a glimpse into the amazing inner workings of the human body through the display of perfectly preserved organs, skeletal structures, and intricate nervous systems.

Many aspiring to be a physician don’t get a chance to view specimens like this until their undergraduate studies. Palm Health Foundation helped expose local middle school students to this opportunity to encourage young minds to pursue their passion for medicine and, hopefully, stay in their community to help alleviate our most critical healthcare shortages.

Raven Fashaw was one of these students, and back in 2017, she already knew that she wanted to be a doctor. “I want to stay in Florida after I graduate from high school and go to FAU,” Raven told the foundation.

Moving forward while giving back

Fast forward to 2023, and that’s exactly what Raven is doing. At the age of 17, she’s graduating high school with a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience and Behavior from Florida Atlantic University’s accelerated dual enrollment biomedical program and plans to attend the University of Florida this fall to pursue a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree. Raven has decided to dedicate her studies and her career to her home state rather than accept any of the invitations she received to attend an ivy league university in the Northeast.

“She made that conscious effort as a young person to say I am going to stay, I am going to give back,” her mom said.

Giving back is central to Raven and her desire to complete her MPH and return to Palm Beach County to attend Florida Atlantic University College of Medicine for her Doctor of Medicine degree, with the career goal of opening her own practice as a free clinic, helping to keep people healthy through prevention.

“I’ve become more interested in thinking about free resources for underprivileged people in this county,” she said. “Medicine is becoming less affordable and it’s becoming less accessible to certain groups. Knowing that I can prevent someone from the struggle and hardship of having a disease, and from having to financially support themselves and their family while going through treatment, that’s what’s kept me in this field.”

A Career Focused on Community

Raven describes public health as “where medicine meets social work.” She believes the union of the two can impact the well-being of Palm Beach County’s most vulnerable residents. It is also where she shares Palm Health Foundation’s belief on how to build a culture of health.

“The whole goal of public health is making sure that people are thinking about health, getting other people educated about health, and preventative health measures,” Raven said. “I think a huge part of being a doctor is not only giving people resources but making sure they are educated about the resources they have and educating their families. I love this county, I love where I live, and I would love to come back and improve it.”

Palm Health Foundation shares Raven’s vision for a healthier Palm Beach County – a community where all residents have opportunities to thrive and reach their full health potential.

Raven’s mom Susan can already see the promising future that lies ahead. “I think she is going to have a major impact on the medical field,” she said.

We couldn’t agree more.

Together with our donors, Palm Health Foundation invests in the education of Palm Beach County’s health professions workforce. From inspiring future doctors like Raven, to providing nursing and behavioral health professions scholarships, we offer a wide array of opportunities for you to make dreams come true. Join us, and let’s inspire the next generation to care for the people of our community.

Visit palmhealthfoundation.org/ways-to-give or contact Carrie Browne, Director of Stewardship and Strategic Partnerships at carrieb@phfpbc.org or (561) 837-2281.

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