The VolunTEEN program held an awards ceremony on Friday night at UC Merced to celebrate the work of their 37 high school students who took part in the latest seven-month cohort. The program is a collaborative healthcare pathway and community partnership involving UC Merced and Dignity Health Mercy Hospital, along with the Merced Union High School District and the Le Grand Union High School District.

 

The VolunTEEN program gives students hands-on hospital volunteering experience, career exposure and dual-enrollment academic support. The VolunTEEN Program has hosted two seven-month cohorts, running from June 2025 until present, supporting 40 MUHSD high school students, including 20 from Merced High School and 20 from Livingston High.

 

“We can teach students about careers in the classroom, but there's something completely different about stepping into an actual workplace, interacting with professionals, and experiencing industry firsthand,” said Tiffani Gong, K-12 Pathway Coordinator, Merced Community College District, and Program Administrator for MUHSD. “Through VolunTEEN, students have been exposed to a wide variety of healthcare professions, and that's important because healthcare isn't just one career or one educational pathway. That exposure is particularly important here in Merced County, where healthcare continues to be an area of significant workforce need.

 

“We want our students to understand that there are meaningful, in-demand careers available right here in our own community,” Gong added. “What makes this program especially meaningful is that it is rooted in service and community. By volunteering, you are giving back to the very community that has supported you, showing compassion, responsibility, and care for others during moments when it matters most.”

 

Livingston High students Pavneet Grewal, Simran Kaur, Smiely Rani and LHS graduate Rishav Jairath, who is a freshman at UC Davis, all received $1,000 scholarships as part of the awards ceremony. “This scholarship means a lot,” said. “It will help me pay for college. It’s a really big help.”

 

Jairath says the program helped him learn valuable skills and reaffirmed to him that he wants to work in the healthcare field. “First and foremost, I learned a lot of professionalism and I learned how to work in a professional environment,” Jairath said. “I feel like it made me more mature going through these past six months. It's definitely helped confirm what I want to do, and this is definitely it.”

 

Each VolunTEEN cohort attended three Career Chats hosted by UC Merced and Merced County. Presentations covered: chaplaincy, respiratory therapy, stroke/STEMI, patient experience, cardiology, clinical engineering/biomed, environmental services, Imaging and public health. These sessions offered the students a deep dive into real-world healthcare pathways, opening their eyes into the vast possibilities ahead.

 

The VolunTEENs have contributed a total of 7,462 volunteer service hours at Mercy Medical Center Merced, helping out in many departments, including: Family Birth Center, Inpatient-Telemetry, Inpatient-Surgical Services, Inpatient-Med/Surg., Emergency Services, Environmental Services, Clinical Engineering, Information Technology, Philanthropy, Community Health, and Stroke Education. 

 

The hands-on experience was valuable for the volunteers. “I was able to do a lot of patient care, getting to interact with patients,” said Grewal. “I gained a lot of experience.” Added Rani: “It’s really rewarding because I can make them feel better and making them feel better makes me feel better.”

 

Jairath encourages any student to join the program if they are thinking about a career in healthcare. “It's definitely helped me confirm what I want to do, and this is definitely it,” he said. “I'm still picking on whether I work in a hospital or a clinic, but this was a good start.”

 

Shawn Jansen is the MUHSD Program Manager Digital Media. He can be reached at Sjansen@muhsd.org.