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Loughlin Students Shine at the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health

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Loughlin Students Shine at the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health

Loughlin is proud of our recent Health Science Academy graduates!

Bishop Loughlin produced the highest number of May graduates in the Health Science Academy program. Loughlin boasts an outstanding Science curriculum. Loughlin is a PLTW (Project Lead The Way) school offering a broad selection of challenging courses in Engineering and Biomedical Science. This year many Loughlin graduates chose majors and colleges with excellent medical, biology, premed and other science programs.

One of the primary reasons Loughlin excels in the Sciences is its partnership with the Health Science Academy (HSA) at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University. 

HSA has a mission to “inspire and prepare the next generation of culturally competent minority healthcare professionals.” HSA is a rigorous health science enrichment afterschool pipeline program serving students grades 6-12. HSA’s  3-year program component “the Academy” serves historically underrepresented, high achieving and motivated college-bound students (10th-12th grades) interested in health and science careers. 

Loughlin is a long-term partner of HSA and this May had the highest number of graduates among the 50 seniors with 14 students. 

  • Bard HS Early College – 1
  • Benjamin Banneker Academy – 1
  • Bishop Loughlin HS - 14
  • Brooklyn College Academy -1
  • Brooklyn Technical HS -2
  • Clara Barton HS – 11
  • High School for Public Service - 3
  • James Madison HS – 3
  • Nazareth HS - 7
  • Medgar Evers Prep -1
  • Midwood HS - 1
  • St. Joseph’s HS - 2
  • Stuyvesant HS - 2
  • Young Women’s Leadership School - 1

Loughlin Seniors Take Top Honors

We are proud of all Loughlin students who participate; but one student set herself apart from the crowd over the 3-years. Asha Griffith ’20 was only the second student recipient of the prestigious Furchgott Youth Scholar Award. The Dr. Robert F. Furchgott Society at SUNY Downstate honored the 1998 Nobel Prize winner at the recent virtual graduation ceremony by providing Asha with a scholarship gift. Asha stood out from her peers by posting an overall score of 101, along with perfect attendance throughout the 3-year duration. Asha also participated in the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation’s clinical research internship, conducting research with her team on blood pressure and hypertension in men. Her team’s research poster will dbe published on AAIUH’s website later this year.

Asha told us that “as a student of the Health Science Academy, I had the privilege of learning more about the human body from medical professionals and students.” One of her favorite parts of the program was having the opportunity to have real-world experiences. “A highlight was the opportunity to dissect a sheep uterus and heart. We also had the chance to see cadavers in SUNY Downstate’s cadaver lab.” Spoken like a future medical professional, Asha! Ms. Griffith has decided to accept the Presidential Scholarship at Long Island University majoring in biology.

Asha Griffith, Recipient of the Furchgott Youth Scholar Award

Asha Griffith, Recipient of the Furchgott Youth Scholar Award

In fact, Loughlin students placed seven of the top ten in overall program achievement receiving the Grand Slam Award. Loughlin Faculty Member and HSA liaison, Ms. Raymonde Jason, has ensured program success since 2006. Along with Asha, we celebrate the other Loughlin/HSA graduates: Cherron Griffith, Chloe Iniss, Arielle Frederic, Bianca Jobe, Nosimat Salami, and Morgan West. 

HSA states that “our Grand Slam scholars are those who have excelled in all the areas we value - academics, community service and engagement - those who have truly taken advantage of all the Academy has to offer. They are Academy Scholars who have also demonstrated their commitment to our mission of eliminating health disparities.”

Loughlin senior, Morgan West, learned a great deal about the issue. “They taught us about health disparities within low income minorities, and how important it is to have health equity for all. Currently with the COVID-19 pandemic, we are all seeing first-hand how health disparities play a huge role in today’s society.” Not only did she hear about disparities, she conducted meaningful research. “Last year, I was able to join the Brooklyn Health Disparities Summer Internship Program where I was paired with a research group to do research at the American Cancer Society. Our group was selected to present our findings at Brooklyn Borough Hall.

Both Bishop Loughlin and HSA pride themselves on outstanding outcomes for their scholars. Congratulations to all 2020 Loughlin-HSA Graduates:

Naisha Coumin, Arielle Frederic, Zariyah Gravenhise, Asha Griffith, Cherron Griffith, Naomi Henry, Chloe Inniss, Bianca Jobe, Adrian Lewis, Shaliyah Nick, Nosimat Salami, Yazmin Santos, Jayda Vasquez and Morgan West.

One benchmark is college acceptance while another is college scholarship offers. All students will attend excellent programs in the fall. These fourteen students earned a total of $5,962,924 in scholarship offers.