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Eleinny’s Success Story
Eleinny Valadez spent her senior year of high school training as a pharmacy technician apprentice in the Healthcare Training Fund’s College in High School program, gaining valuable on-the-job experience while earning class credit and getting paid.
Many students spend their senior year of high school focusing on final exams, applying to colleges, and dreaming about how to spend their summer free time. Eleinny Valadez spent her senior year studying and working as an apprentice pharmacy technician through the Healthcare Training Fund’s ‘College in High School’ program. In June 2026, Eleinny became the first graduate of the CiHS program.
Eleinny appreciated how the program allowed her to get hands-on experience as an apprentice pharmacy technician while earning class credit and getting paid:
“During my interview [for College in High School], the teacher showed me the things that I would be learning and told me more about what a pharmacy technician does. After that interview I fell completely in love with the program.”
When Eleinny was accepted into the program four months later, she quickly immersed herself in her pharmacology studies and participating in labs to learn what it was like to work in a retail pharmacy.
But the CiHS program was only the beginning of Eleinny’s apprenticeship journey. To graduate from the program on her anticipated schedule, she took initiative and began working as a pharmacy technician at Walgreen’s while in high school. Eleinny attributes her dedication and commitment to hard work to her parents who encouraged her to never give up and treat everyone with kindness and respect:
“Nothing fills me with more pride than being able to help my Spanish-speaking patients — being Mexican in pharmacy, I get to serve my community firsthand.”
As Eleinny begins her career at Kaiser Permanente, she offers this advice to high school students considering joining the College in High School program:
“Being the youngest doesn’t mean being less capable. In fact, it often means you have to work twice as hard to be taken seriously—and that’s okay. Because when you push through those challenges, you earn confidence, respect, and the power to inspire others.”
Learn more about apprenticeship opportunities and eligibility for paid-on-the-job training through the College in High School program.
