Students

After losing peers to violent situations in high school, PA student Isaac Esene founded GoodWorks, a nonprofit that teaches young people CPR, Stop the Bleed techniques, and other skills related to bystander response. His goal is to provide the next generation with the knowledge they need to respond in the event of violence or medical emergencies—and potentially save lives.

Infectious disease PA Jina Saltzman noticed a lack of diversity in the PA profession over her nearly 20-year career and decided to do something to help. With a grant from the University of Chicago Medicine’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion, she started the program Empowering Minority Pre-PA Students Through Healthcare Shadowing.

As a PA student on the Big Island in Hawaii, Kaleo Lee learned about the devastation caused by the wildfires in Maui—only an island away from him—and knew he had to do something. Along with his classmates, Lee started a donation drive and flew to Maui to help distribute items to those affected by the fires.

PA students Katie Holliday, Elijah Netjes, and Sydney Smith jumped at the opportunity to serve their clinical rotation abroad and traveled to Point of Grace Academy, a boarding school that houses approximately 800 students near Kisumu, Kenya. There, they immersed themselves in the culture, treated hundreds of community members of all ages, taught a class, and had an unforgettable experience.

As a first-generation, non-traditional PA student at Canisius College, AAPA’s 2023 PA Student of the Year, Deepthi Krishna, is committed to advocating for her fellow students. Through her role as a student leader, she conducts outreach and provides resources for students who need support.

This year’s Outstanding Student Society is the Colorado Mesa University PA Program, whose members have advocated for modernizing Colorado PA practice laws, participate in community events, and work to further diversity, equity, and inclusion.

On Thursday, October 6, 2022, more than 450 PAs and PA students traveled to New York City to flood Rockefeller Center and NBC’s TODAY Show, and – for the first time in the history of the event – ABC’s Good Morning America plaza, too.