Two iSchool High sophomores, 15-year-old Courtney Brumley and 16-year-old Avery Palacios, are competing in a Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) competition later in January. The pair wanted to do something benefitting women, so they directed their focus toward domestic violence and decided to launch a donation drive for the Montgomery County Women's Center. The center provides a 24-hour hotline, safe shelter, crisis intervention, counseling, advocacy and legal services to survivors of family violence, sexual assault and stalking. The shelter can house up to 75 women and children each night. The iHigh School is a charter college preparatory high school on the campus of Lone Star College.
Brumley and Palacios decided to partner for the HOSA competition because it is the first time for both of them to enter. They are being mentored by two seniors who did a similar project last year.
"We had to pick a topic that was important to us and that was safety or health related," Palacios said. "We heard about the women's center and we were really drawn to it. It's a cause that we think is really important and isn't really talked about in the community and so we decided to do a donation drive." READ MORE