Today, during the 2025 Minorities in Health Sciences Symposium, nearly 400 young people from over a dozen high schools will come together to learn from doctors and healthcare professionals across the field. Among them is Dr. Jaleesa Jackson of Jefferson Health, who will inspire the next generation of leaders with a session focused on “A Journey to Medicine, and Lessons Learned Along the Way.”
The full-day event offers students access to role models, interactive sessions, and hands-on activities that spark interest in the health sciences and showcase tangible pathways into medical and allied health careers.
This is not the first time that Jefferson Health has joined forces with Esperanza College of Eastern University to strengthen the health professions pipeline in North Philadelphia—one with potential to impact the city and the region. The two institutions share a deep commitment to advancing equity and representation within the healthcare field:
Esperanza College of Eastern University, a federally designated Hispanic-Serving Institution now celebrating its 25th anniversary, has graduated hundreds of students—many the first in their families to attend college—and is nationally recognized for its Health Sciences programs, including multiple state and international HOSA–Future Health Professionals awards. The College is part of the broader Esperanza ecosystem, which includes Esperanza Academy Charter School and Esperanza Cyber Charter School, both of which send dual enrollment and early-college students into the program pipeline.
Through nearly 30 unique Academic Outreach and Pathway Programs, Jefferson is preparing the next generation of professionals while advancing our mission of improving lives. Spanning K–postsecondary students, these programs connect more than 20 departments across the enterprise — including Thomas Jefferson University, Jefferson Health, and Jefferson Health Plans — and open pathways to over 15 career fields in healthcare, science, design, and the built environment.
Jefferson’s Pathways Program with Esperanza College
Jefferson’s Pathways Program, in partnership with Esperanza College of Eastern University and the School District of Philadelphia, creates a direct bridge from high school to employment in healthcare. Through classroom instruction, mentorship, and clinical experience, students from North Philadelphia gain the skills and credentials to begin working within the Jefferson and Einstein hospital network.
Since its launch, 26 Esperanza College students alone have participated in the first two cohorts, with 25 already placed in roles as patient care technicians, medical assistants and surgical technicians. Recruitment is currently underway for a third, expanded cohort beginning in Fall 2026.
The partnership not only opens doors to family-sustaining careers but also strengthens the local healthcare workforce by preparing diverse, bilingual, and community-rooted talent for in-demand clinical roles. Together, Esperanza and Jefferson are demonstrating how strategic collaborations between higher education and health systems can transform opportunity, equity, and representation in Philadelphia’s healthcare sector.
“Programs like this change lives,” said Dr. Nilsa Graciani, Academic Dean, Esperanza College. “They give our students access to meaningful careers and help them become the compassionate professionals our communities need.”
Jazmyn Turner, an Esperanza College student and also a Patient Care Technician at Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia Hospital, shared, “The Pathways Program showed me what was possible—I was able to train, get connected, and now I’m working in the field I dreamed of.”
Tiffany Tavarez, Vice President, Community Impact and Strategic Partnerships for Jefferson, added, “This partnership shows what’s possible when we invest in local talent and our young people. We know that our patients benefit with improved health outcomes, and our neighborhoods are stronger when our workforce reflects the communities we serve.”
About Esperanza College of Eastern University
Celebrating its 25th anniversary, Esperanza College of Eastern University is a branch campus of Eastern University located in North Philadelphia and a federally designated Hispanic-Serving Institution. Founded through a partnership between Esperanza and Eastern University, the College offers affordable, faith-based, and culturally relevant education. Learn more at https://esperanza.eastern.edu/
About Jefferson
Jefferson is reimagining health care and higher education to create unparalleled value throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. More than 65,000 people strong, Jefferson is dedicated to providing high-quality, compassionate clinical care for patients; making our communities healthier and stronger; preparing tomorrow’s professional leaders for 21st-century careers; and creating new knowledge through basic/programmatic, clinical and applied research. Thomas Jefferson University, home of Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Jefferson College of Nursing, and the Kanbar College of Design, Engineering and Commerce, dates back to 1824 and today comprises 10 colleges and three schools offering 200+ undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 8,300 students. Jefferson Health, nationally ranked as one of the top 15 not-for-profit health care systems in the country and the largest provider in the Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley areas, serves patients through millions of encounters each year at 32 hospital campuses and more than 700 outpatient and urgent care locations throughout the region. Jefferson Health Plans, through Health Partners Plans, Inc., is a not-for-profit managed health care organization offering a broad range of health coverage options to more than 370,000 members for more than 40 years.