Alessandra Reitano

Alessandra Reitano is a senior at Eastlake High School, where she combines her passion for science and healthcare through advanced coursework like AP Biology, AP Chemistry, and Honors Anatomy. As treasurer of Medicine4Youth, (a youth catered medical club) Alessandra has led over five fundraisers. Several of these funds have been directed toward charitable organizations, including Rady Children’s Hospital. Likewise, she’s helped organize community patient-focused projects, such as a school-wide drive creating care packages for patients who reside at SHARP Medical Center. Weekly, Alessandra volunteers at SHARP Medical’s Center as the sole inpatient aide within SHARP’s cardiac unit. Her volunteer work entails setting up patient rooms, delivering necessary supplies, and assisting various staff with administrative duties. Alessandra’s contributions are crucial in ensuring the medical center runs smoothly, and she’s fostered meaningful connections with both patients and staff. These experiences have reinforced her commitment to the medical field, while sparking a desire to guide others toward similar passions. Additionally, Alessandra serves as president of Students Addressing Vaping & Addiction (SAVA), with a San Diego Partner Club. In this role, she has helped organize campus-wide initiatives like “Save Your Sweetheart” week while coordinating closely with the school nurse to distribute Valentine’s gifts in exchange for vape-free pledges and “Red Ribbon” Spirit Week, led outreach booths engaging over a hundred students, and coordinated beach clean-ups to reduce tobacco waste. This past summer, she partook in the Child Mind Institute’s Youth Mental Health Academy– a selective program–, completing and delivering a team research project at a statewide competition hosting over 1,500 students. Her research explored covert biases in immigrant families and the influence of such biases on the willingness of teenagers to seek mental health care. Additionally, Alessandra mentors underclassmen as an AP World History tutor and guides freshmen as a Link Crew Leader. Motivated by her experiences in research, health advocacy, and patient care, Alessandra is an aspiring orthopedic surgeon who desires to make a meaningful impact on patients’ lives. She hopes to continue aiding others in her personal and academic endeavors.