All About Our Camp
The Golden Bear Summer Camp was created in 2016 to foster a positive relationship with our local community amongst diverse populations of students. This includes diversity in race/ethnicity, religious beliefs, political affiliations, gender, and inclusion of students with disabilities. We want to utilize our resources to raise awareness of the various careers represented by the Western New England University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, in addition to other careers within the health sciences. The intent is that this commitment will lead to greater interest in healthcare careers within the Commonwealth and beyond. Our focus has been working with school districts to foster a passion for healthcare in the Pioneer Valley, with a preference for Hampden County residents. This camp has gained a more robust reputation within recent years, attracting youth from outside of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The camp features faculty and staff from a variety of programs, including neuroscience, occupational therapy, pharmacogenomics, pharmaceutics, and more. The camp is led by co-directors Dr. Arin Whitman-Jemison and Dr. Marissa Ostroff, faculty within the pharmacy practice department.
Testimonials
"I attended WNE’s summer camp last year as a participant and returned this year as an intern helping with the camp. Both experiences allowed me to take a deeper look into health science careers, from growing plants to learning about neuroscience. The program takes a fun but informative approach to get kids involved and excited about careers in the health sciences. Coming back as an intern gave me the opportunity to develop leadership skills, meet amazing faculty members, and gain a deeper understanding of certain fields. Both years, the occupational therapy program piqued my interest. Its hands-on, people-centered approach was amazing to see, and WNE’s accelerated 3 + 3 program, which fast-tracks students to a doctorate, showed me a clear and motivating path toward becoming an occupational therapist. Before the camp, I didn’t know what occupational therapy was. Now, after seeing what WNE has to offer, it's something I’m seriously considering for my future."–Avery C.
"I had the opportunity to attend the Golden Bear Camp when I was in high school, and it completely changed the trajectory of my career goals and plans for college. The program offers students an immersive introduction to the world of healthcare through hands-on labs, simulations, and direct interaction with healthcare professionals. Topics include sterile compounding lab, community pharmacy simulation, blood pressure monitoring, naloxone training, over-the-counter medication review, and so much more. Now, as a student in the PharmD program at WNE, I feel excited to return each year as a volunteer knowing that this camp inspired me to pursue a career in pharmacy and has played a key role in shaping my future."–Sedona W.