HealthCorps is like a Peace Corps for Health. College graduates delay future education in the medical field for 2 years and serve as “Coordinators” in our nation’s schools. They empower teens “to make simple lifestyle changes to enhance their well-being and resilience and take the message to friends, families and neighbors.”

 

Dr. Oz’s initiative started in 2004 with one New York school. By 2010, HealthCorps was serving 50 schools in nine states. Canoga Park High School has been involved with this program for 3 years, and we have had the great pleasure of working with Emily for the last two.

 

As our Healthy Living Coordinator, Emily goes to classes and teaches students about healthy living. She likes exposing people to new things such as healthy cooking and fun physical activities. Emily has reintroduced the hoola-hoop to our campus, and thanks to her, lunchtime hoola-hooping has become very popular! She also organized a Highway to Health Fair, and has held Teen Iron Chef cooking lessons and competitions at lunch and after school.

 

Emily learned about HealthCorps while attending Emery University in Atlanta Georgia, where she majored in Political Science and minored in Global Health. HealthCorps was recruiting people and she took the job. She has been interested in healthy living since she was a child, so it seemed like a job she would enjoy. When she was seven years old, her father got her started in sports and encouraged her to eat right.

 

Ms. Millen’s plans for the future include going to graduate school (UCLA, USC, Emery, or Tulane?), and then working on Public Health Campaigns to reduce obesity through community nutrition programs.  She also wants to compete in the Iron Man Competition where she will have to swim 2.4 miles, bike for 112 miles, and run 26 miles...all done back to back.  Good luck with that!!

 

Thank you Emily Millen for everything you do as our Healthy Living Coordinator. You are definitely WHAT’S RIGHT ABOUT CANOGA.