From Teen Entrepreneur to Future Nurse: Jamalia Torres’ Health Care Journey

At 17, Jamalia Torres was running her own esthetics business and dreaming of becoming a nurse esthetician. One conversation at Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) changed everything. Today, she is a full-time patient care partner on 6B at Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH)–Cedar Crest, preparing to start nursing school and inspiring other high school students to launch their own health care careers.

Her journey shows how LVHN’s Health Care Futures program can take local students from curiosity to career while giving them a head start in the hospital environment.

Torres always admired her grandmother, a lifelong nurse in Puerto Rico who worked in intensive care, medical-surgical units and in medical imaging. “She was always my inspiration,” Torres says.

At first, Torres planned to go directly to nursing school. Her mom encouraged her to gain hospital experience first, which led her to meet Heidy Pagan, Health Care Futures program manager, and learn all about the program.

“This program is for students like Jamalia: full of passion, potential and a deep desire to make a difference,” Pagan says. “We’re helping them find what they love, discover their purpose and invest in the future version of themselves. It’s about becoming who they were always meant to be and inspiring generations to come.”

Torres quickly immersed herself in the program, rotating through sterile processing and patient care units that gave her hands-on experience. She learned the behind-the-scenes work that keeps patients safe, shadowed nurses and connected with the team that would later hire her.

“I met so many people who inspired me about what path I should take,” Torres says. “Going through each unit, meeting people and learning about their career paths, it was the best experience.”

Through the program, Torres didn’t just gain exposure, she launched her career. “It felt unreal when I got hired,” she says. “Knowing I went from the program to a full-time role was amazing. My team is always checking in on me.”

In July 2024, she became LVHN’s first full-time hire from Health Care Futures. The program prepared her to communicate with patients, collaborate with nurses and support staff, and understand how a hospital unit operates.

That foundation is fueling her next step: nursing school at Lehigh Carbon Community College, beginning in August 2025.

“I want to stay bedside, learn from my patients and be with them through their hardest moments,” Torres says. “One day, I want to become an RN and maybe even a nurse anesthetist.”

Torres’ connection started much earlier than high school. She was born at LVH–Cedar Crest in September 2005. Years later, her grandmother received compassionate care at the same campus while battling dementia.

“That left such an impact,” Torres says. “One day, I’ll be the one helping someone’s grandma. Bathing them, making sure they’re OK. It feels good to give that care back.”

Torres encourages other students to explore early health care career programs.

“Do it. It’s the best experience ever,” she says. “Be open to the field and don’t second-guess yourself. Once I heard about the opportunities, I jumped right in and it changed my life.”

Programs like Health Care Futures give young people a vision for their future and the confidence to take the next step.