A summer of discovery at Future Doctors Camp 

Students spent a week in June at Sunset High School learning anatomy and physiology from Texas A&M medical school student mentors at the Future Doctors Camp. But they weren’t the only ones gaining new knowledge. Teacher Lawanna Evans, who helped lead the camp, walked away with important lab skills and life lessons of her own. 

“The experience is fascinating, and I enjoy being able to see the students learn new things,” Evans said. “It’s always interesting to hear from medical students about some of their personal experiences. There has been a wealth of knowledge that I have acquired even for myself.” 

Now in her second-year teaching at the camp, Evans said she has become more comfortable in the science lab and is ready for the hands-on learning that comes with studying anatomy. 

“My favorite part of the camp is the dissection of the pig heart,” she said. “While they’re studying the heart, students can apply the knowledge they are receiving and have these amazing ‘aha’ moments. Students are able to experiment and even stick their fingers through the different passageways within the pig’s heart. It’s one thing to learn from a textbook, but it’s another to actually hold and dissect a heart.”   

Through a mix of hands-on lab activities and guest speakers, students also learned how to navigate scholarships and prepare for college. From studying the circulatory system one day to examining lungs the next, students were able to explore life in the medical field from the operating room.  

“Some of the students want to go to medical school,” Evans said. “We even have one student studying business who just thought it would be interesting to attend. Regardless, students can take all that information and apply it.”  

With 10 years of experience in education and her current role as a special education and inclusion teacher at Dr. Frederick D. Todd Middle School, Evans said the lessons she has learned at the camp have made her a stronger educator, and most importantly, an informed parent.  

“When my son was sick, I was able to tell my doctor that I heard rattling in his lungs, even after the emergency room said they didn’t hear anything,” she said, speaking about her 3-year-old son. “When the doctor went in a second time, she was able to hear rattling and put him on antibiotics, so it didn’t get progressively worse.”   

Evans said she gained that critical skill while helping her students practice using stethoscopes to listen to lung sounds.  

At the camp, they received CPR training and learned how to use an automated external defibrillator, which is a portable device used to treat sudden cardiac arrest. Both Evans and the students were able to walk away with life skills they could use in their personal lives. 

“With hands-on learning, students can apply the different things they are learning at camp in their science classrooms during the year, regardless of their grade level,” Evans said. “Many of the things that they’re learning can even be lifesaving.”