Crispus Attucks HS students start IU Health Fellowship to prepare for future careers

INDIANAPOLIS — A new generation of healthcare workers will receive professional training before they receive their high school degree.

IU Health welcomed its newest class of Crispus Attucks High School fellowship recipients with brand-new lab coats Tuesday morning. They will spend three years learning under IU Health staff and will have a guaranteed job with the health provider after graduation.

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"I feel a sense of responsibility wearing this coat," said Oyinkansola Oyewole, a rising Crispus Attucks freshman who is a new member of the IU Health fellowship program. "I love science subjects, math, and stuff like that. I love helping people and taking care of people."

Crispus Attucks junior Adewale Adeboyejo has spent two years in the fellowship program. He says the fellowship is paying off right now and has helped him determine his ideal future.

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"I am officially a CNA as a junior," Adeboyejo said. "We had an internship, and one of my people that I had to shadow was a therapist. Their job spoke to me, it is something I can do and something that is very fulfilling."

IU Health CEO Dennis Murphy said the students' interest in healthcare is needed because of Indiana's aging population and the new IU Health Hospital currently under construction.

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"We're going to have people retiring out of our workforce and more people needing healthcare," Murphy said. "It's critically important for us to build a pipeline of new talent, diverse talent."

The IU Health Fellowship is exclusive to Crispus Attucks now, but Murphy said he is planning to expand the program to other Indianapolis Public Schools.