YOUTH LEADERSHIP BAKERSFIELD Health & Human Services Day The day started out at the Chamber office with a presentation from CASA of Kern County. Their Executive Directory, Amy Travis, explained the history and facts of the organization and the services offered. The students were then given a tour of The Bakersfield Homeless Center. They learned how its jobs program is helping homeless families get back on their feet, and how its staff cares for residents as well as the surrounding community. Kern’s growing health care industry was the focus of the session's second half of the day. Adventist Health Bakersfield gave behind-the-scenes access to its AIS Cancer Center and helipad. Students were able to see firsthand the latest equipment that doctors are using to save lives. At lunch, a panel of health care professionals from very diverse fields shared their knowledge and passions. Upon arrival at the Kern County Public Health Department, students were greeted by Director Matt Constantine and a crowd of reporters. The issue at hand was an e-coli outbreak. Students were then divided into strike teams to interview victims and visit several locations. A student from each strike team then had the task of reporting their team’s findings at a mock press conference. While the outbreak was not real, Constantine and his staff explained the exercise was a reality the department is equipped to handle. The Chamber would like to thank Youth Leadership Bakersfield Advisory Day Chairs Vin Dang, Empire Eye & Laser Center; and Danay Jones, Adventist Health Bakersfield. A special thank you to our day sponsor Adventist Health Bakersfield.
Energy Day Youth Leadership Bakersfield students got an inside look at the local energy industry, including taking part in a hands-on oil experiment at Aera Energy and learning about the skills required to work high atop utility poles from line-workers at PG&E. At PG&E, the students heard several employees talk about their careers at the company. They also saw demonstrations detailing how employees check for gas leaks with high-tech, hand-held equipment. A recently hired crew of in-house firefighters gave students the opportunity to handle a firehose. Line-workers provided a pole-climbing demo and allowed the students to try out a few skills of their own. The afternoon at Aera Energy included keynote speaker Aimee Blaine, senior vice president-technical at Aera Energy LLC, who talked about her personal advancement in the oil industry. She was followed by a panel made of PG&E and Aera employees who talked about how they moved from high school and college into their respective careers. Speakers included geologists and an accountant from Aera, and an environmental field specialist and an electric outreach specialist from PG&E. The day wrapped up with a hands-on experiment that provided a basic knowledge of oil drilling using cupcakes, which is always a big hit with the students. -Tracy Lopez, Pacific Gas & Electric The Chamber would like to thank Youth Leadership Bakersfield Advisory Day Chairs Tracy Lopez, Pacific Gas & Electric Company and LaMeka Ross, Aera Energy LLC. A special thank you to our day sponsors Aera, Chevron and Pacific Gas & Electric Company.
METRO | PAGE 9