BOCES 2 Career and Technical Education (CTE) students are used to obtaining the highest quality instruction and expertise to prepare for their future careers. That concept was taken to a new level on April 13 when Monroe County Health Commissioner Dr. Michael Mendoza spent an hour with certified nurse assisting and phlebotomy/laboratory technology students via videoconference.
Dr. Mendoza has become the public face of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic in the Finger Lakes region of New York State. He has drawn praise for his leadership, and clear and empathetic communication style. Those character traits were on display as he encouraged students to pursue careers in health care and joked with them about his own circuitous journey to becoming a medical doctor and public health leader.
Students assembled in a WEMOCO conference room, arranged in a socially-distanced manner, to connect with Mendoza. He was featured on a large screen participating in the meeting from his office. After he outlined his educational background and the career choices that led him from Chicago to Rochester, students took turns asking him questions. The topics ranged from pandemic-related restrictions in schools to highly technical questions about virus-testing methodologies in labs.