MOULTRIE, Ga. — Students from C.A. Gray Junior High School in Moultrie recently spent the morning virtually speaking with students and faculty from PCOM South Georgia during the second annual SPARK program. 

SPARK (Students Progressing in Academics from Readiness and Knowledge) is a pathway program that introduces students in underserved communities to osteopathic medicine, while fostering confidence in them as they consider healthcare careers, according to a press release from PCOM South Georgia.

“We aim to promote leadership, boost interest in the sciences and improve college and career readiness knowledge,” Dana Brooks, assistant director of admissions said.

Brooks added, “It is very rewarding to our student ambassadors, faculty and admissions team to have the opportunity to share the pathway to becoming an osteopathic physician. Our goal is to create interest and a realization that becoming a physician can be a reality right here in Moultrie!”

After learning about the working mechanics of the heart from Jennifer Shaw, PhD, and Jason Walker, PhD, associate professors of physiology, the ninth-graders heard from DO and graduate students at PCOM South Georgia. 

Allison Tresner (DO ‘23), Shelby Flowers (DO ‘23), Son Nguyen (DO ‘23) and Destiny Sciuva (MS ‘22) spoke with students about the tenets of osteopathic medicine and the process of becoming a DO. The speakers focused on grades needed to get into college, how to find financial assistance and tips for getting experience in the medical field at a young age. 

“It is so important to reach out to younger students and help them with their journey and remind them that they have an incredible amount of potential and an incredible amount of opportunity,” Flowers, a Moultrie native, said. “It was a very special thing to be able to help coordinate this program at one of my former schools, for students from my own hometown.”