At a retreat in El Capitan, teenagers painted, practiced yoga and mastered the ropes course. But there was one experience they had shared before the retreat: being diagnosed with cancer.
These teenagers came together through the Teen Impact program which was founded by Dr. Laura Kuperberg, a social worker, UCLA graduate and one of the speakers at the Academic Affairs Commission’s “Life and Success: Women with Amazing Careers” speaker series Tuesday night.
Through the Teen Impact program at Los Angeles Children’s Hospital, these people ““ all in different stages of the disease ““ came together to share their achievements and concerns.
Though Kuperberg graduated with a degree in history, her grandparents influenced her to go for another degree in gerontology.
With that, she became interested in social work, and went on to work with California Children’s Services. One day, a new employee asked what her true passion was, and without a second thought, Kuperberg responded, “To start a program for adolescents with cancer.”
In 1988, she began Teen Impact, the support group targeted specifically for people ages 13-25.
She said she would not have guessed 30 years ago that she would be working with teens with cancer.
Lindsay Ramos, a third-year microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics student, said she attended because she saw an ad on Bruin Walk.
She said she was “interested in seeing what careers were out there, especially for women.”
Ezra Wolkenfeld, a first-year undeclared student, said it was “an intriguing event,” and that he knew Kuperberg through his father, who works with her at Los Angeles Children’s Hospital.
Also speaking at the event was Michele Kort, senior editor for Ms. magazine. She also graduated from UCLA, and completed her master’s degree in arts management at UCLA in 1975. Like Kuperberg, Kort started college on an entirely different career path than the field she eventually entered.
In her first year, she planned on becoming a psychologist.
“I didn’t discover my calling until my late 20s,” Kort said. After deciding that arts management was not her passion, Kort came to the UCLA job placement center and landed a job as an assistant editor at Grantsmanship Center News magazine, a publication dedicated to grant writing.
“Somehow I landed a job I was completely unqualified for,” Kort joked. A mentor helped her break into journalism, which she liked “because of the communication. Journalism is a great field for continuing to learn for the rest of your life. It’s more than just a job.”
After leaving her position at Grantsmanship Center News, Kort worked a variety of writing jobs to support herself, including Essence magazine.
When she was down on work, she called a friend at Shape magazine, and worked her way through women’s sports and fitness publications before becoming the senior editor for the fledgling journal Ms.
Both Kuperberg and Kort doled out advice to their audience.
“Find passion in your work. It’s never too late ““ it’s a life process,” Kuperberg advised. “Leadership is not about management. It’s about being a visionary. Have ideas, but allow other people to shine,” she said.
Kort had three basic instructions for success: “Be good at whatever you do. Get your foot in the door, whether it’s an internship or a phone call. Believe in yourself all the time.”