Killeen ISD Career Center students interested in medical careers practiced general health screenings while learning from nurses and survivors about the treatment and prevention of cancer.
In a first of its kind event Saturday at the Career Center, cosmetology students and a variety of medical-oriented Health Occupations Students of America students interacted with the public.
The HOSA students provided glucose and blood pressure checks for participants. Cosmetology students provided manicures.
They also interacted with members of a nursing sorority called Sigma Gamma Rho, gaining awareness of breast cancer and the importance of self-screening and regular mammograms after a certain age.
Midway through the event a pair of cancer survivors that have worked for KISD shared their personal experiences of diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. Both said they are near the one-year mark of being cancer free.
The two speakers, as well as a nurse shared the importance of healthy diet and exercise and early detection, but also the critical role of support.
While undergoing radiation treatment, both women said support from spouses and children, as well as friends and spiritual community, along with personal prayer, pulled them through the fear and uncertainty.
Zara Sheikh, a senior and HOSA treasurer, said she and her peers appreciated the chance to practice their skills, something they do regularly with classmates.
“We’re just doing blood glucose checks and checking blood pressure,” she said. “We’re just practicing getting to be with patients and seeing how patients might react when they get results,” she said.
While many of the students had classroom experience through EMT training, others like Sheikh, a dental assistant student, was gaining new experience.
“I enjoy it,” she said of her studies at the Career Center. “We just finished a unit on infection control, how to clean the chair and what to wear with the mask and gown and now we’re going to work on anatomy and how teeth develop,” she said. “I’m very excited about it.”
Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/killeenisd/albums/72177720329515439