When Cassidy Parks arrived at AdventHealth East Orlando, she expected to learn about traditional medical careers.

Instead, the 16-year-old left with a broader view of what a future in healthcare could be.

“Most times I just hear about the nurses and the doctors,” Parks said. “But today, I got to learn about other things hospitals do.”

Parks was one of 48 students who visited AdventHealth East Orlando as part of a career exploration field trip hosted in partnership with Hispanic Access Foundation and Renacer Foundation.

Designed to introduce students to science, technology, engineering and math careers, the experience gave participants a behind-the-scenes look at the many professionals who help make whole-person care possible every day.

The day began with a simple challenge: Think about your future.

Each student received an action plan worksheet, a guide they would carry throughout the day as they rotated through hospital departments.

Along the way, students recorded what they learned, identified skills they wanted to develop and reflected on career paths that sparked their interest.

“This is their action plan,” said Charlize Saavedra, an AdventHealth volunteer who helped develop the activity. “They have to answer what department they were most interested in, their strengths and skills they can continue building, and then they have to set a goal.”

Students explored six departments across the hospital, including laboratory services, sterile processing, biomedical engineering, rehabilitation, imaging and endoscopy.

At each stop, they met team members who explained their work and shared how their roles contribute to patient care.

For Parks, seeing the equipment and technology up close helped bring those careers to life.

“I enjoyed the tools. We got to see a visual of what we were learning about,” she said. “I could also take this into my future job, because I’m learning about different careers besides nursing and being a doctor.”

The experience extended beyond the tours. Students also heard from healthcare professionals who shared their personal career journeys, including leaders from laboratory services, biomedical engineering, imaging and pastoral care.

AdventHealth East Orlando Chief Operating Officer Paul Adeogun welcomed students and offered insight into leadership within a hospital setting, helping them understand how every role contributes to the patient experience.

For the Rev. Hoower Cajica, director of Renacer Foundation, those connections are what make the program meaningful.

“Renacer Foundation is a bridge between AdventHealth and Hispanic Access Foundation,” Cajica said. “AdventHealth offers opportunities for the community, especially for teenagers, through volunteerism and connection in professional life.”

The field trip also introduced students to opportunities beyond the classroom, including AdventHealth's volunteer program, which allows young people to begin gaining experience in a healthcare environment while exploring potential career paths.

Brandon Vargas, patient transportation manager at AdventHealth East Orlando and one of the event organizers, said the goal is to help students see possibilities they may not have known existed.

“There are so many more careers that support our patients outside of the clinical spaces,” Vargas said. “We’re exposing these students at a young age so they can start thinking about their futures and see all of the areas that are available for them to grow a career.”

As students gathered for lunch and completed their action plans, many left with more than notes from a hospital tour. They left with new ideas about who they might become and how they might one day help others.

“This hospital was established all the way back in 1941,” Vargas said. “I’m hoping that this next generation will take us even further into the future and be able to make Central Florida feel whole for another generation.”