High School Career Exploration Experience (Opportunity Board)

Cover Letter Details: Address to Ms. Melissa Arambula (CEO Leadership Alliance Orange County)

Experience Description: Are you a creative storyteller with a passion for social media? This micro-internship is an opportunity to use your digital expertise to make a real impact!

Join the CEO Leadership Alliance Orange County (CLAOC), a coalition of visionary CEOs working to transform Orange County into a thriving, inclusive, and innovative talent hub.

What You’ll Do:

As a Social Media Content Creator Intern, you’ll gain hands-on experience, grow your skills and see your work come to life while amplifying our mission to drive collective impact. Your responsibilities will include:

• Content Creation: Design visually appealing posts, videos, and graphics for our website and LinkedIn.
• Social Media Strategy: Collaborate on creative strategies to grow our online community.
• Social Media Calendar: Plan and schedule posts that engage and inspire.
• Analytics & Reporting: Track performance metrics and provide insights to improve future campaigns.

About CLAOC:
The CEO Leadership Alliance Orange County (CLAOC) is a coalition of business CEOs dedicated to transforming the region into a premier talent and innovation hub by fostering equitable opportunities, retaining top talent, closing skills gaps, and supporting businesses in driving sustainable growth. To learn more, visit claoc.org.

Schedule Notes: Hybrid experience, includes virtual and onsite meetings at Edwards Lifesciences in Irvine.

Cover Letter Details: Address to Ms. Melissa Arambula (CEO Leadership Alliance OC). Please include the project (descriptions below) that you are interested in.

Discover Your Future with a Micro-Internship at Edwards Lifesciences!
Are you curious about the world of medical innovation and ready to make a real impact? This is your chance to explore the exciting world of BioTech with Edwards Lifesciences, the global leader in patient-focused medical innovations!

What to Expect?
This hybrid experience combines virtual and onsite meetings at Edwards Lifesciences. You’ll meet twice a week with Edwards professionals, work in teams of 3-4 students, and collaborate on one of these exciting projects:

• Heart Awareness Campaign: Create a powerful marketing and education campaign to reach underserved communities about heart health. Your ideas could help save lives by raising awareness about heart disease!
  
  
• Patient Engagement: Help Edwards listen and learn from patients to inspire innovation and strengthen the company’s patient-focused culture. Your voice matters in creating technology that truly helps people!

Showcase Your Ideas!
At the end of the program, you’ll present your recommendations to Edwards professionals. This is your chance to shine and show industry leaders what you’re capable of!

Why Should You Apply?
This program is designed to help you:

• Discover Your Potential: Whether you’re exploring career options or ready to make your mark, this experience is designed to help you grow.
• Connect with Industry Leaders: Build connections with professionals at Edwards Lifesciences who are changing the future of healthcare.
• Gain Real-World Skills: Work on meaningful projects that build skills employers love.
• Make a Difference: Your work could directly impact communities and patients’ lives.

About Edwards Lifesciences
Edwards Lifesciences is the global leader in patient-focused medical innovations for structural heart disease, as well as critical care and surgical monitoring. Driven by a passion to help patients, the company collaborates with the world’s leading clinicians and researchers to address unmet healthcare needs, working to improve patient outcomes and enhance lives.

Cover Letter Details: Address to Ms. Melissa Arambula (CLAOC).

What to Expect

During this hybrid experience, you’ll develop professional skills and strengthen your career readiness while gaining exclusive insight into one of the world’s most innovative healthcare companies—Johnson & Johnson (J&J).

The program culminates in a one-week, 40-hour onsite intensive at J&J’s Irvine campus, where you’ll explore how J&J combines science, technology, and compassion to improve health and well-being for people everywhere. Through interactive sessions, mentorship, and guest speaker presentations, you’ll gain firsthand exposure to J&J’s dynamic workplace. The experience concludes with a final project and presentation to J&J leaders—an opportunity to showcase your creativity, problem-solving, and teamwork skills.

What’s in It for You?

• Explore Healthcare Innovation: Dive into the world of healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and medical technology. Learn how J&J develops products and solutions that change lives across the globe.
• Develop Career-Ready Skills: Strengthen essential skills like teamwork, communication, problem-solving, and creative thinking—critical for success in any field.
• Experience J&J’s Culture: Discover how J&J’s values-driven culture emphasizes care, innovation, and collaboration. Experience what it’s like to work for a company that combines purpose with cutting-edge science.
• Meet Industry Professionals: Connect with J&J experts who will share their career journeys, mentorship, and advice on navigating pathways in healthcare and STEM.
• Hands-On Learning: Engage in interactive workshops and team challenges that simulate real-world innovation. Your final project will give you the chance to apply what you’ve learned and showcase your creativity.

Who Should Join

This experience is ideal for high school students interested in healthcare, science, technology, and innovation—and who want to explore how their skills can make an impact.

Why This Matters

Whether you’re passionate about medicine, innovation, or helping others, this experience helps you discover where you can make a difference. You’ll leave with new skills, mentors, and a clearer sense of how to build a meaningful career in healthcare.

About Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson is one of the world’s largest and most trusted healthcare companies. With more than 130 years of history, J&J leads in pharmaceuticals and medical devices—all driven by a mission to improve the well-being of people everywhere. Through innovation, integrity, and care, J&J continues to shape the future of health.

Cover Letter Details: Address to Ms. Melissa Arambula (CEO Leadership Alliance OC)

Are you ready to explore how technology is revolutionizing healthcare? Join Kaiser Permanente’s Care Transformation Experience, where you’ll step into the role of a digital health innovator. Over six weeks, you’ll work alongside professionals from Kaiser Permanente’s Care Transformation Team, learning how artificial intelligence and emerging technologies are transforming patient care.

You’ll gain hands-on experience in problem identification, solution design, and implementation planning, as you collaborate with peers to tackle real-world healthcare challenges. From ambient AI and telehealth to machine learning dashboards, you’ll explore how technology can make healthcare smarter, more efficient, and more human-centered.

What You’ll Do

Throughout this immersive program, you will:

• Work in teams of 4–5 students to design a digital health solution that addresses a real challenge faced by healthcare providers.
  
  
• Learn from Kaiser Permanente mentors who specialize in digital transformation and innovation and human centered design..
  
  
• Participate in weekly check-ins with CLAOC and Kaiser Permanente leaders for project guidance and feedback.
  
  
• Build skills in design thinking, project management, communication, and ethical AI use.
  
  
• Present your final solution to the Kaiser Permanente Care Transformation Team during a capstone presentation.
  
  

Sample Topics

• Identifying key barriers to digital care adoption
  
  
• Designing AI-powered tools that enhance patient experiences
  
  
• Creating implementation plans that bring innovation to life
  
  
• Measuring the success and impact of healthcare technology solutions
  
  

Who Should Join

This experience is ideal for high school students who are curious about the intersection of healthcare, technology, and innovation, and want to explore how AI can improve people’s lives. No prior experience in healthcare or coding is required—just curiosity, collaboration, and creativity.

Why This Matters

As the healthcare industry evolves, digital innovation is driving how care is delivered, personalized, and improved. This program empowers students to think like innovators and prepare for future careers in healthcare technology, data science, and business strategy.

About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is one of the nation’s leading healthcare providers and not-for-profit health plans, serving more than 12 million members. Through technology, innovation, and compassionate care, Kaiser Permanente is committed to improving health outcomes for individuals and communities.

Cover Letter Details: Address to Ms. Jordyn Miller (Healthcare Career Academy). Please include the department (descriptions below) that you are interested in. 

Group Interviews: March 2 – March 23 (by invitation only)

Experience Description: Rady Children’s Health (legacy CHOC) is committed to being a leading destination for children’s health by providing exceptional and innovative care. We are looking for committed students to work alongside one of our many departments that are necessary for the overall function of our pediatric healthcare system. These departments may be updated as we approach summer, due to capacity and organizational changes. We appreciate your flexibility and will make every effort to align selected participants with their top department preferences.

During the experience, students will gain hands on experience and exposure into potential healthcare careers in one of the following departments:

As a disclaimer, the departments listed below may change due to organizational changes, updates will continue to be posted. 

Some roles will have patient and family interaction, all under the supervision of current medical staff. 

• Commerce Urgent Care (High School): Rady Children’s Health Commerce Urgent Care is located directly across from our main hospital in Orange and is a reliable resource for patients and families needing emergency care or imaging services. The Urgent Care team includes nurses, physicians, radiology technicians, healthcare administrators, and volunteers that all serve our patients and families. Students paired with this department will get to interact with patients and families, observe medical care, assist with data and patient information, and be included in staff meetings and projects. For individuals interested in the medical field, this department allows for direct exposure and insight into pediatric care.

• Irvine Urgent Care (High School): Similar to the Commerce Urgent Care, the Irvine Urgent Care provides pediatric patients and families with urgent care and imaging services. Students in this department gain a balanced experience, including patient interaction, observing medical care, assisting with data and administrative tasks, and participating in staff meetings and specialty projects. Previous students have contributed ideas to help make procedures, such as blood pressure checks, less stressful for children. This opportunity offers hands-on exposure to both clinical and administrative aspects of pediatric healthcare for students interested in pursuing medical or health-related careers.

• Specialty Clinic Department (High School): Rady Children's Health Specialty Clinic Department provides a wide range of outpatient services, offering expert care in fields such as cardiology, neurology, endocrinology, orthopedics, and more. These clinics allow patients to receive specialized treatment without hospital admission, ensuring comprehensive and convenient care. CEE students have the unique opportunity to shadow medical assistants, nurses, and other healthcare professionals in this setting, gaining hands-on exposure to various medical specialties and patient care experiences.

• G.R.O.W. (High School): The Office of G.R.O.W. at Rady Children’s Health is part of the Advocacy and Public Policy Department and focuses on Growth, Respect, Opportunity, and Well-being, fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for patients, families, and staff. Previous students in this department have gained hands-on experience by helping organize and prepare G.R.O.W. events, creating patient- and family-focused materials on healthcare literacy, and assisting with the collection and analysis of staff and patient data for organizational reporting. This is an ideal opportunity for students interested in healthcare policy, diversity and inclusion, or a future career in law.

• Nursing Research & Innovation (High School): Rady Children’s Health nurses are committed to advancing pediatric acute, critical, and ambulatory care through research, evidence-based practice, innovation, and continuous quality improvement. Students working with this department will gain insight into the research and improvement initiatives shaping patient care and organizational excellence. They will support a signature onboarding event designed to help new staff integrate into the organization’s culture, assist with research projects, and learn how data-driven improvement strengthens outcomes across the hospital. Previous students have contributed to department projects and supported special events that impact staff, patients, and families.

• Primary Care – Offsite Locations (High School):  Rady Children’s Health Primary Care Practices provide comprehensive pediatric care at our outpatient locations, offering students a unique perspective on both clinical and administrative aspects of healthcare. Students will have the opportunity to shadow physicians, nurses, and administrative staff, gaining insight into patient care, clinic operations, and healthcare management. They may also assist with projects such as patient education materials, workflow improvement initiatives, or data collection. This experience is ideal for students interested in exploring careers in medicine, healthcare administration, or related fields while gaining hands-on exposure in a real-world clinical setting.

• BioMedical Engineering (High School – Reserved for Century High School Students: Rady Children’s Health offers a unique opportunity for high school students at Century High School enrolled in the BioMed pathway to partner with the Biomedical Engineering (BioMed) team. Students will gain hands-on exposure to the maintenance, repair, and innovation of medical equipment that supports patient care across the hospital. They will shadow BioMed professionals to observe daily operations, assist with equipment testing and safety checks, and contribute to special projects aimed at improving medical device processes and efficiency. This experience provides valuable insight for students interested in biomedical engineering, healthcare technology, or pursuing a career in medicine and science.

• Information Technology (High School & 1st /2nd Year College): The Information Technology (IT) department is responsible for maintaining the hardware, software, data storage, cybersecurity, and networks that support the organization’s technology infrastructure. Both high school and college students have the opportunity to learn how IT systems and technical support function in a healthcare environment, where cybersecurity and data protection are critical. Students will assist with a variety of projects aimed at improving IT processes, rotate through and learn from different IT teams, and contribute to initiatives that enhance system performance and security. Past students have gained hands-on experience updating communication tools, supporting department projects, and learning how IT keeps a hospital running safely and efficiently.

• Providence Speech and Hearing Centers (High School & 1st /2nd Year College): Providence Speech and Hearing Centers offer students the opportunity to explore careers in speech therapy, physical therapy, or occupational therapy through hands-on observation and shadowing. Students will follow clinicians during weekly sessions, gaining exposure to a wide range of patient ages and abilities. This experience provides direct insight into patient care, therapy techniques, and the day-to-day operations of a multidisciplinary therapy team, making it an ideal placement for students interested in rehabilitation and healthcare professions.

• Rady Children’s Hospital Mission Viejo (High School & 1st /2nd Year College): Rady Children’s Hospital Mission Viejo, located within Mission Hospital, offers both high school and college students a unique opportunity to experience healthcare in a smaller, specialized setting. Students will rotate through clinical and non-clinical roles to gain a comprehensive understanding of hospital operations, including departments such as Child Life, Medical Unit, PICU, Surgical, NICU, Sleep, and Clinical Nutrition and Lactation. Students may also be exposed to patients facing challenges with eating disorders. Participants will shadow clinical sessions and staff meetings, interact with patients and families, and contribute to specialty projects that support departmental initiatives. This placement provides broad exposure to pediatric care, healthcare operations, and multidisciplinary teamwork, making it ideal for students exploring careers in medicine, nursing, or allied health professions.

• Respiratory (High School & 1st /2nd Year College): The Respiratory Department at Rady Children’s Hospital in Orange provides students with hands-on exposure to pediatric respiratory care and the operations that support it. Students will shadow respiratory therapists and other clinical staff, observing treatments and procedures for patients with a variety of respiratory conditions. They may also assist with department projects, data collection, and patient education initiatives. This experience is ideal for students interested in respiratory therapy, nursing, or other healthcare careers, offering insight into both patient care and hospital workflow.

• Audiology (High School & 1st /2nd Year College): The Audiology Department at Rady Children’s Health provides students with the opportunity to explore pediatric hearing, balance, and auditory processing care. Audiologists diagnose and treat hearing loss, fit hearing aids, conduct auditory tests, and support communication development for children. Students will shadow audiologists and clinical staff, observe hearing assessments and patient consultations, and assist with projects, data collection, and patient education initiatives. This experience allows students to gain a practical understanding of how audiology impacts children’s development and everyday life.

Visit the Rady Children’s Health website to learn more about the organization. 

IMPORTANT REQUIREMENTS: In order to participate in this program, students will have to onboard immediately after accepting an offer. This will include documentation (Parental Consent, Proof of Age, HIPPA, etc.), Medical Clearance (MMR, Varicella, TB, Tdap), Urine Drug Screen, Online Training, and Orientation.