We prepare 11th and 12th graders and undergraduates for careers in healthcare data and technology. Not with a pamphlet and a pep talk — with real data, a working professional in their corner, and a portfolio a hiring manager can open.
GALLATIN / NASHVILLE, TN · BIRMINGHAM, AL · MORE LOCATIONS TO COME
HYBRID — WEEKLY ONLINE + MONTHLY IN-PERSON
CHARTER COHORT BEGINS SEPTEMBER 26, 2026
Students find that out the hard way. So we built the program around what actually gets someone hired — evidence that they can do the work.
An industry certificate — funded to zero cost. No student pays tuition.
Real analysis of real public health data, published where an employer can open it.
A working professional in their field. Background-checked. In their corner all year.
In July, every student presents their work to people who actually hire.
Healthcare is the context. The skills themselves work in any industry — which is exactly the point. Here is the actual work.
Learn to query, model, and visualize data — and to do it on healthcare data, answering questions that matter to real organizations.
Learn to plan, coordinate, and actually deliver work in a professional environment — the skill almost no youth program teaches.
| field | value |
|---|---|
| students | 10 |
| who | 11th grade, 12th grade, and undergraduate |
| where | Gallatin / Nashville, TN · Birmingham, AL — more locations to come |
| begins | September 26, 2026 |
| format | Hybrid — weekly online + monthly in-person meetups |
| meets | Weekly, two hours — September through July |
| cost_to_student | $0 — including the credential |
| ends_with | A portfolio, presented to employers |
8 rows returned. Applications open — see below.
Four weeks. Choose a pathway, build a plan, start a resume. No one is behind — everyone starts here.
How data works. How healthcare actually works. You pick the question your portfolio will answer.
You build the thing. Messy data, real tools, employer sessions, and a mentor reading your drafts.
Sit for the credential. Finish the portfolio. Present it to a room of employers.
Every student gets a working professional in their corner — someone who has done the job they want, who reads their portfolio draft in March and their resume in April, and who tells them the truth about the work.
And students carry each other. The 11th grader who is lost in October becomes the 12th grader explaining it to someone else next year. That’s not a nice extra. It’s the design.
Not only to teach what I know, but to reproduce who I am.
A working analyst, project/program manager, healthcare or government professional. Background-checked before any student contact. Monthly, all year.
Just made the leap the senior is about to make.
Was a junior twelve months ago. Remembers exactly what was confusing.
And the loop closes.
Dr. Annette E. Osaitile founded Bless the Youth after two decades in healthcare and data, such as Metro Nashville Government, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and Elevance Health.
She teaches the program herself, every week, alongside a full-time job. Not because it’s convenient, but because she keeps meeting bright young people who have the ability and no map.
Her doctoral research was on stakeholder satisfaction in the nonprofit sector. Her purpose statement is simpler than that: I root for the underdog, because I am the underdog.
One hour a month, one school year, one student. We send you the questions to ask. Background check required.
A site visit. A guest session. A job shadow. An internship. One door, once a year, changes what we can offer.
We keep credentials free for students. Support goes to background checks, materials, and getting students in the room.
Be a second adult in the room — virtual or in-person. Chaperone a breakout session, assist during monthly meetups. Background check required.
If you’re an 11th or 12th grader or an undergraduate in the Nashville/Gallatin, TN or Birmingham, AL area — or a professional who wants to help — we want to hear from you. The program is hybrid: weekly sessions online, plus regular in-person meetups.
We are starting with ten because we intend to do it properly. We are not planning to end with ten, or to stay in two cities. If you are somewhere else and you want this for your students, tell us — that is how the next location starts.
hello@blesstheyouth.org
