Nonpartisan and nonprofit news organization, CalMatters, hosted its Ideas Festival in June, bringing some of the best and brightest in the state for “smart conversations that spark solutions.”
One idea that caught massive attention was the NextGen Scholars program. It will provide educational opportunities and career pathways in healthcare for high school students from Title 1 schools and diverse backgrounds—with a goal of training 5,000 youth by 2030. Sutter Health is launching the new initiative with Los Rios Community College District with the pilot starting at Folsom Lake College for students at Cordova High School in Rancho Cordova, Calif.
“The potential for this program is limitless. We believe it can be replicated and scaled across the state to have even a greater positive impact,” said Keri Thomas, vice president of external affairs at Sutter Health.
Neil Chase, CEO of CalMatters and moderator of the panel featuring Thomas and Art Pimentel, president of Folsom Lake College, agrees.
“The best thing that can happen is someone wants to steal this idea,” he said.
Read more about this unique and innovative program.