Episode 66: The Transformational Power of Education

TGen Talks: Episode 66, Paul Luna, Helios Education Foundation

Karie Dozer [00:00:04] I'm Karie Dozer and this is TGen Talks. In 2018, with funding from Helios Education Foundation, TGen launched TGen Bioscience Leadership Academy, a two-week educational experience for 20 rising high school juniors and seniors that carries with it a $1,000 scholarship. The program allows qualified high school students the opportunity to explore a variety of careers within biomedical research, where TGen faculty and administrative experts share career advice and provide hands-on opportunities that enable students to gain a more in-depth understanding of translational research and the impact it has on clinical trials and precision medicine. Earlier this month, Helios committed $500,000 in renewed support, which funds the program through 2028. Helios also supports the Helios Scholars at TGen program, a hands-on internship opportunity inside TGen laboratories. Applications for both programs opened earlier this month. And joining me today to discuss these and other Helios initiatives is Paul Luna. Paul is the president and CEO at Helios and has been for more than 15 years. He's led Helios in its efforts to create opportunities for success in college, both undergraduate and beyond. Paul, thanks for joining me today.

Paul Luna [00:01:20] Oh, it's my pleasure to be here. Thank you.

Karie Dozer [00:01:22] So for someone listening who doesn't know anything about Helios or maybe has heard of you but doesn't know a lot, what is Helios and what do you do.= 

Paul Luna [00:01:29] Well, Helios Education Foundation was created nearly 20 years ago through the conversion and sale of a student loan company and essentially in the conversion of the student loan company, now we’ve created an education foundation. We really believe in the transformational power of education and how that improves lives and our community. And we work across the full education continuum. So we believe that there are certain factors that really help students be successful in education after high school. And so our priorities are third grade reading, making sure all of our students are reading at grade level by the end of third grade, increasing our college going rate, just making sure our students are academically prepared to move from high school successfully into some type of educational environment after high school. And then degree completion, you know, a certificate, a license in particular two year or four-year degree.

Karie Dozer [00:02:19] There are a multitude of places and programs that Helios could choose to support. Why is TGen such a good fit for not just one but two programs?

Paul Luna [00:02:27] I think what makes our partnership with T.J. so unique and I think this is really what grounded it early on because T.J. and quite frankly, was one of our earliest investments and partnerships that we made when the foundation was first being established. And I think it begins first and foremost with the uniqueness of teaching. It's fair to say there is no T.J. and everywhere else, right. So to celebrate the uniqueness of having this leading edge, you know, aspirational organization that literally is going to change the world in our backyard was something we thought was a very valuable opportunity, especially then to ensure that we're able to connect students to the unique value that T.J. brings. You know, so. So Jeff Trent and all the scientists that are here that are doing amazing work, yet knowing that they had a commitment to be part of the fabric of our community, especially education and the ability to connect students, aspiring students who want to be those scientists or who have aspirations to be doctors or researchers to take advantage of what T.J. represents was something that we were very proud to do early on, and it still continues to generate such great value.

Karie Dozer [00:03:45] Yeah, these programs don't create your average college student, right? I mean, these programs help create your superstar college student, your high science achiever, somebody who's probably going to go right into medicine.

Paul Luna [00:03:56] Oh, without a doubt. And I think that's what makes these particular programs that that we're part of and engaging with teach in. Is that what they also do, I think, is they establish a high bar of what students can, in fact, achieve, right? They make we make sure that we're providing to our best and brightest an opportunity that they're not going to find anywhere else. And there's very intentional element to this is we want our students, our best and brightest, to be educated wherever they can, wherever they want to go. But our goal is it's always gotten them back to our state, so let's get them back to Arizona and let's take full advantage of what teaching has to offer in terms of those opportunities. 

Karie Dozer [00:04:33] So your first funding partnership was the Helios Scholars program, which is about to turn 18 years old, right? Started in 2006. And you committed to funding it for 25 years in 2007. Obviously, you thought it was a great idea. How rewarding is it that eight 800 students have gone through this program and that it is almost 20 years old and very successful?

Paul Luna [00:04:53] It's amazing to think about the numbers of students, as you said, over 800 students being able to participate in a unique summer internship program where they are side. By side with scientists. And it's not your typical summer internship, you know. I remember my days as an intern. It was really the most important thing they let me do is go get coffee for the important people.

Karie Dozer [00:05:14] I'm sure you were great at.

Paul Luna [00:05:15] Good at that. Or go pick somebody up at the airport. But this is not that type of internship. This is where the students, principally college age students who have an interest or a belief that that medical school might be in their future or some type of research activity. And they get to be part of a cohort of students of like-minded students who care about science, who care about research, who care about addressing the challenges of any number of diseases that we're trying to cure. And they work side by side with the actual teaching and scientists doing the work. And it's incredible to see how much value the students actually bring to the work in the labs with the scientists. And that's what we hear from the teachers and scientists. I think they actually feel like the they're energized by the students. And I think the other thing I would say, Carrie, that's really important is we try to make sure that these programs are available to all students. So regardless of where your background might be, whether, you know, it's not one of those scenarios where you only get to be part of this internship if you know somebody or if you're have enough resources that you don't have to get paid. We made sure these were paid internships so any student from any background could participate. 

Karie Dozer [00:06:29] You say you hear from the scientists that that it's a rewarding partnership. Do you hear from the students, too? I mean, I'm sure you have some interactions with these students when they're all finished. Are they surprised at the things that they've done?

Paul Luna [00:06:39] They are. And, you know, it's always great to get feedback from the students themselves on what that experience. And most often we hear one of two things. And I think these are really important opportunities for the students to figure this out. One might be and this is what we hear most often, is that their opportunity to be mentored by a teaching scientist has just created a passion and an energy of Jim, even filling more of a commitment to pursuing that path that they're on. Yeah. And it helps to shape and guide what type of medical school they might want to be or what type of doctor they want to do or what where they want to really lean into the type of research that they might want to do. But just as importantly, we'll have other students. That said, this really helped me to better understand that I want to do something different. Yeah, and it doesn't even mean, you know, even within medical profession or not. But to say, you know what, maybe I don't want to be a researcher. I thought all my life I wanted to be in the lab. Well, this has helped me to figure out, know, my passion is really somewhere else. And that's what's really rewarding is because we continue to put our students on a track to success, whatever that success will be.

Karie Dozer [00:07:49] What a great time to learn before it's too late. A newer program that you founded, it's the T Gen Bioscience Leadership Academy. It's two weeks of a summer program and it's designed for high school students other than the age of the applicant 18 ish, what's the difference between Leadership Academy students and Helios Scholars?

Paul Luna [00:08:05] Well, the great and the exciting part of the Leadership Academy is it really came out of the learnings from the initial internship because the summer internship program would allow students even in high school to participate. And we always had a handful of high school students maybe there. But what we what we recognized is that the research in the lab in this in the traditional summer Institute program really required a level of academic achievement that you saw in the college students, their second- or third-year college student. But yet what we found was such a bright, talented high school students who were comfortable in that environment. So we wanted to create more opportunities for more high school students to be exposed to the uniqueness of TGen of the research of being mentored by a scientist, as you said, even before they start to go to college, start to help them to think about what they might want to pursue or what they might want to study. And so this two-week program I think is better tailored to where that the academics of the study of the high school student might be, where they're at in their career paths or their college going path. But the other thing that's really unique and we've heard this from students is that they always say, you know, I had these interests, this scientific interest, and I thought I might have been the only person that had this sort of thing. And I found my people. Yeah, yeah. I think I'm a little weird, but I have found my people, right? I have found other students, other friends. And we think exactly the like we get excited by the same things. And so it's empowering for that high school student as well to say, yeah, I'm on a great path and I might be the only one in my school, but there are others like me out there and now I know who they are and now they, they stay connected, and they have a different type of bond and friendship.

Karie Dozer [00:09:53] Yeah. Thank goodness. Helios obviously has a strong focus on low income and Latino students. How did these two town programs help that population of students specifically?

Paul Luna [00:10:03] Well, when we were able to talk with the Trojan team, you know, there was we both had this commitment of ensuring that that that the Trojan environment was open to all. And when you talk to the unique challenges that maybe a first-generation college student or a student from a lower income background might have is oftentimes in the summers you had to work, you know, you had to earn money in order to continue with your college career or you just might not even have the exposure or the understanding that a Trojan exists. It might not just be in your in your world that you've grown up with. And so we wanted to make sure that that this program, this partnership, that there was this intentionality, and this is really where we show our appreciation for the T Gen team. The staff that really work this program is they reach out to all the different types of communities, all the different types of high schools and colleges, so they recruit from everywhere. And we want all of our students to know, regardless of your background, you know, we want you to know that if this is your interest and this is your passion, you too can participate in this program.

Karie Dozer [00:11:10] Do you take part in the judging at the end? There are projects for these Helios scholars, like they have something to present at the end. Are you part of that?

Paul Luna [00:11:17] What I show up at the symposium, I'm not part of the judging because to be perfectly honest with you, they are communicating at a level of scientific understanding that is far beyond me.

Karie Dozer [00:11:26] I'm not sure I believe that, but okay, well.

Paul Luna [00:11:29] But they're brilliant. And I think that's what gets really exciting is that they get to showcase their work as part of that and symposium, and they do. They put a little positive type of competition there because they're there to accomplish, you know, and to succeed. And many of them have actually received awards and recognition for the research that they've done from the scientific community. And we we're talking official recognition. Yeah. Some even with dollars attached to continue to do more of the research because again this is the I think the real uniqueness of this partnership with TGen and how they engage the students is that it's not artificial work, it's real research that is delivering and changing the world.

Karie Dozer [00:12:12] I've interviewed several of them and they all, to a person, talk about how frightened they were, quite frankly, going into this symposium and presenting their findings not in front of their own team, but in front of all of the other teams. And they say it's the hardest thing they've ever done. But once they do it, they sort of feel like they can do anything. What's the value in that for these kids?

Paul Luna [00:12:32] Well, and I that I think is the value is that what we're giving these students is a unique opportunity to interact with professionals who are recognized around the world for the research and the work that they do, but to then empower the students to learn and evolve and to grow and put them in scenarios in some respects, to challenge them and to push them to do things that once they accomplished that, to your point, they have a greater sense of confidence, of understanding of what they're capable of doing. And it sets them on a trajectory of success. And I think the other thing is they understand how important what they might uniquely be capable of doing. You know, it is fair to say, and we are very hopeful and optimistic about. So, you know, what? One of these students might be the ones who cures Alzheimer, who cures cancer. I mean, that is not beyond the realm of possibility. These are the students that are going to really have meaningful impact in the world.

Karie Dozer [00:13:30] For someone listening, they might be the student themselves. It might be a parent of a child who is the student, or it might be a teacher of a student who's wondering if these programs are the right fit. What have I missed? What do you want them to know about what they'll learn as part of this program and how competitive it is to be chosen?

Paul Luna [00:13:47] I think part of it is we want to raise the awareness because and this is really kind of a grounding point of view that that that drives our foundation at Helios is we believe that that intelligence and talent is distributed across all students equally. What's not always distributed equally is opportunity. And so what we try to do is make sure that the opportunity for students who have this passion, who have this desire to do this incredible research that they know and understand that regardless of where their background might be, that there's opportunities like this in our community and just pursuing it is going to make them better help. You know, just even if you apply and you don't get accepted, we know that the students are going to be better prepared, better informed. They'll be stronger for having gone through the process. And so we encourage each and every one of you don't, you know, don't disengage thinking, oh, that's for other kids. No, this is for you. If you have an interest and a passion in this type of work, if you have any desire to do scientific research, this is an opportunity for you to put yourself out there and be part of a really unique program.

Karie Dozer [00:15:00] Any advice for someone who's thinking it might be for them?

Paul Luna [00:15:03] Allow yourself to dream and to dream big. And in that in that context, then put yourself out there. Be willing to apply, be willing to say, I want to be part of that unique cohort of talented students who are going to learn and evolve and build a network and maybe also help you clarify where you want to go and pursue, where your passion might lie and where your future success might be. And please don't hesitate. And if there's anything we can do to help and support and encourage you, we stand ready to do that as well. 

Karie Dozer [00:15:38] Awesome. Great story. Paul, thanks for your time today.

Paul Luna [00:15:40] Thank you, Karie.

Karie Dozer [00:15:42] For more information or to apply, high school applicants should visit TGen dot org slash TBLA. Applications will remain open through early February 2024. For more on TGen’s research, go to TGen dot org slash news. The Translational Genomics Research institute, part of City of Hope, is an Arizona based nonprofit medical research institution dedicated to conducting groundbreaking research with life changing results. You can find more of these podcasts at TGen dot org slash TGen Talks, Apple and Spotify and most podcast platforms. For TGen Talks, I’m Karie Dozer.