Host Joy Walczak speaks with Dr. Tox Fox, East Grand Rapids High and FutureSolve25 Teacher and Orli Dujovny, 12th grade, East Grand Rapids High and FutureSolve25 Intern.
Joy Walczak (JW): Welcome to the Your Dream Is Our Dream podcast, where we celebrate student success one dream at a time. This program is made possible by Kent ISD in partnership with WGVU. I'm Joy Walczak, and today I'm talking with Orli Dujovny, a junior at East Grand Rapids High, and EGR chemistry teacher, Dr. Tom Fox. Thanks so much for joining me today.
Dr. Tom Fox (TF): It's a pleasure to be here. Thank you.
Orli Dujovny (OJ): Yes, thank you.
JW: We're looking forward to getting into this conversation because the two of you had a unique summer experience, which was also a learning partnership called FutureSolve25. This is an initiative of Kent ISD in partnership with BAMF Health and Kendall College of Art and Design, Ferris State University. Dr. Fox, can you tell us a little bit more about this program and how it benefits students from across our area?
TF: Absolutely. So the FutureSolve program was initiated last summer. And this is the second version of the program. We had FutureSolve24 and now 25. And it's a wonderful program that brings together students across the county, mostly our juniors and seniors. And it gives them an opportunity to work with the industry, innovative industry leaders to explore the answers to questions that really do not have a correct answer, right? And so they spend six weeks working together in teams to explore the answers or possible solutions, rather, to these questions. This is in partnership, as we mentioned, with BAMF Healthand also with Ferris State University because students receive college credit and also experience that could help them in a career.
JW: Orli, why were you interested in becoming part of this program this summer?
OJ:At first, I became interested because my chemistry teacher, Dr. Fox, mentioned it to me in the beginning of the year.I decided to apply and move along with this process um because I really enjoy the STEM side of things in my learning and I wanted a sort of experience to kind of test like which side of that that I enjoyed the most.
JW: And did you have that experience at Future Solve 25? Were you able to explore some new options?
OJ: Yes, I definitely was. I saw a different side of the medical field that I did not know was present before.
JW: Tell me more about that.
OJ: Yeah, so we learned about the IT behind the medical field. We learned about the marketing, the business, all the management aspects of it. While we also learned about machines and different parts that that correspond together that I didn't necessarily know were kind of an aspect in the medical field. I just kind of assumed it was more like doctors, nurses, and kind of that whole process, but there was a lot more to it.
JW: And Dr. Fox, you were able to teach as your experience from a chemistry teacher, but also in a new way, because this was about career exploration and also meeting students you hadn't met before and working with new colleagues. Can you tell me about that experience?
TF: Absolutely. I would love to expand on what Orli just said because I can say that Orli will most likely enter the medical field and probably be a doctor of some kind someday if she chooses to.And I think what she said about opening her um eyes up to just the different dynamic parts of being in a medicine, right? That it's not just the incredible knowledge that she brings and her intellect in science and STEM. It's also how she, maybe if she chooses to, manage her own practice, what that's going to look like and how she's going to market that practice or how she's going to integrate IT to organize her patients, right? And so it just warms my heart to know that Orli got this experience to get a more well-rounded view of what she might enter someday.
JW: Absolutely. I'd love to hear a little bit about what you are dreaming of being in the future, Orli.
OJ: Yes, of course. I'm not necessarily sure what I'd like to be in the future, but I plan to continue my exploration down the medical field.I definitely enjoy more math and science, so I want to experiment in those areas and see kind of what part of the medical field I would prefer the most.
JW: And with your experience at BAMF Health this summer with our educators, you were able to explore some questions. What question did you and your team explore?
OJ: We tried to focus on the culture by, we created a SWOT analysis, and we implemented solutions with each weakness and improved the opportunities and helped focus on the threats and so on.
JW: How did it feel to be part of what could be a solution for an organization like BAMF Health? And also, what was it like working with colleagues from other school districts?
OJ: It felt very empowering. felt great. It felt like we had an impact with the work that we spent six weeks on. It um had a real world application to it. And I felt like that was great. And working with other people from other schools, it brought in my social circle. I've created more friends even from people in East from other grades.
OJ: I made way more friends that I'll get to speak to about like really anything.And it also showed different perspectives and also those perspectives were implemented in our work and different ways of doing things and approaching our question.
JW: So Dr. Fox, when you hear Orli talk about the impact of this experience this summer, what are your takeaways as an educator when you hear our students share?
TF: It is wonderful to hear that Orli feels as if she expanded her social circle both within East and outside of East because, as one of the educators who plans the curriculum and the day-to-day for the FutureSolve program, that was one of our main goals for year two. It was an area of growth from year one and it's just great to hear her say that. And we want to continue doing that for the program and have these students expand their, and broaden their opportunities via other students, but also these companies, whether that might be an internship for their future or whatever comes their way as they work throughtheir problems.
JW: Orli, why do you think it's important that organizations like Kent ISD, Ferris State, also BAMF Health actually ask students your age about the problems that they're having and what solutions to them might be?
OJ: I think it is very important because I think that um people don't know that students know a lot more than they think and I think that students are actually very educated, and even if it's not to the same extent, I think that their viewpoints come from a different generation, or even if it is the same generation, it is a different um point of view of things, just like the same for having people from different communities come together. And I think that this implemented the solutions because sometimes the older generation does not think of the solutions that we think of because they don't know things even about media and so on, that us students um really have personal experience with.
JW: Dr. Fox, you must actually see that in your classrooms every day. Why is it important for other adults to understand that, even beyond our education communities?
TF: I think one of the most important things to remember for adults, especially teachers, but all of us, is to really listen to our students. And that could be in this case of the FutureSolve program to come up with the solution to a novel problem that they're facing.But it is also just when they come into the classroom or into the room and to listen to what they're feeling, what they're needing, and not just assume. Always assume the best, right? So not assume that if they do something, or you're not, you're questioning as an adult, they may have done that because of, you know, whatever they came with that day or because of instruction wasn't clear, right? So just to drive home Orli's point, listening with an open ears and open heart to our young people is gonna make a world of difference as we move forward as a society.
JW: Absolutely.Orli, how are you going to take your success in the FutureSolve25 program this summer with you beyond high school?
OJ: Beyond high school, this FutureSolve program has helped me establish more confidence in my, like, even in my presentation skills. We focused on that extremely throughout the program. And even though that seems like such like a minor thing, it really is impactful. It makes like, it empowers me to continue and want to speak in front of a larger group of people and have like this knowledge of how to present and how to show, kind of showcase my solutions, or our solutions that we created and my opinions as well.And I think that it also benefits, like for other future internships, and shows kind of what to expect and kind of establishes a foundation for um what I should expect for the future and how to take the last internship and go even beyond that and further in another internship.
TF: Everything Orli mentioned, from broadening her connections practicing her presentation skills and confidence in front of an audience, um learning a more 360 view of the medical field, these are all the things we hope students take away. And also inevitably, by the fifth and sixth week, when these students present, you can see the change in them and their confidence and their growth and their development. I'm just so proud of you, Orly, and your team for what you did this summer.
OJ: Thank you, thank you.
JW: And Orli, what would you say to another student who might be considering an opportunity beyond their schooling?
OJ: I would recommend this program. I'm very grateful for what has brought me and I would recommend it to anyone who's just even considering the medical field.It shows so many different aspects and it also, like, just I've made so many new connections that I just, I still like I still message these people like I still like I thinkthey're all great people that I work with. I think that this program really also set me up for the next school year and it um focuses just on the students and I think it's very important and valuable for everyone to experience.
JW: Well, fantastic. We really congratulate you on your success in this programand I can see a totally bright future for somebody who's going to make an impact in our medical world as well. So thank you for that.
OJ: Thank you.
JW: And thank you too, Dr. Fox, for your commitment to this program and to students every day.
TF: Absolutely. I'm proud to be part of this.Thank you.
JW: We want to also thank everyone who's been listening today. And we'd love to share any stories that you have of students who dream big to help celebrate their success. You can find all of our stories at KentISD.org/yourdream. And I'm Joy Walczak. The Your Dream Is Our Dream podcast is presented by Kent ISD in partnership with WGVU.
