Making a community safer can be as simple as a 30-minute class, according to Belmont High School Senior Jasmine Gluck.
Gluck, co-president of Belmont’s chapter of Healthcare Occupation Students of America (HOSA), is one of the students working to bring CPR certification to the high school for the second year in a row. However, unlike last year, the program will be entirely student-run and facilitated.
“Now that it’s just going to be us teaching, I think we’re excited to prove that we can teach as well as anyone else …I think it also shows students that you don’t have to be an adult to be able to do something at this scale,” Gluck said. She will be teaching the course, along with her co-president, Lucia Millen.
Gluck was certified in CPR the summer before her freshman year of high school. Since then, she’s been recertified and completed her teaching certification last month.
“When I was first certified, the feeling I had of being empowered was unlike anything else that I’ve experienced, just knowing you yourself could save a life,” she said.
She joined HOSA early in high school. The organization, which has chapters across the country, empowers young people who plan to enter the health care field. Gluck and Millen have worked to expand the club since they took over as co-presidents, hosting discussions on health care careers and organizing suturing lessons for students.
Now, both are certified to teach CPR and are excited to bring classes back to the high school for their classmates. According to Gluck, they will host several sessions over a few weeks, with dates to be determined.
As students themselves, Gluck and Millen know that CPR doesn’t always seem like a necessary skill for high school students.
“I think for the average student, it’s not really on their radar that they might need this, but it’s so important and much closer than they might think,” Gluck said.
In 2023, a Belmont Hill School basketball player collapsed during practice. His teammate, Daniel Slatkavitz, who had been taught CPR by his biology teacher after an AP test, jumped into action, CBS News reported. He did compressions until first responders arrived, effectively saving his teammate’s life.
While Slatkavitz’s actions are inspiring, Gluck said the incident highlights how needed CPR really is.
“The more people we have who are fully equipped to deal with this type of issue, I think the safer our community will be,” she said.
HOSA will announce class dates in the coming months.
