April 29, 2022 – Several Fox Tech High School students didn’t let the south Texas humidity hamper their excitement as they put the finishing touches on a colorful mural they’ve worked on for two days (April 9 and April 29) and about 10 hours in a parking garage for doctors at the Baptist Medical Center downtown.
What started out as a blank wall has transformed into a labor of love and masterpiece that is brightening up what is usually a lackluster parking garage for the hospital’s physicians. Gabriel Morales, visual arts instructor and the students’ teacher at Fox Tech High School, said the mural the students named “Physicians are our Heroes” is a gift to the doctors and nurses of the hospital. It recognizes the work these healthcare heroes accomplish every day helping to care for the community they serve. Morales also said it helps to connect students to a hospital where they may work someday as many of the student muralists are studying in the high school’s health and law magnet program.
“We saw this as a great opportunity because many of these students are interested in pursuing careers in the medical field after they graduate,” Morales said. “With Baptist Medical Center being just right across the street from our school, it is a great way to come here and connect with the doctors and staff that the students look up to,” he said.
Fox Tech junior and one of the muralists Maricruz Peña said she was inspired to be a nurse when she was 10 years old. “My brother was born right at this very hospital Baptist Medical Center,” Peña said. “I saw the great care the nurses here gave him and my mom. They were all really nice and so I want to be that kind of a nurse after I graduate,” she said.
Peña along with her muralist classmates said they enjoy giving back to the healthcare heroes who have made an impact on them throughout the years.
Natalie Obregon Ramirez, junior at Fox Tech and one of the muralists, said she wants to be an obstetrician.
“During the pandemic, the doctors and nurses went through a lot of struggles and so this is our way to say thank you for everything they do for all of us and our families,” she said.
The mural was completed Friday, April 29, and is already being admired and enjoyed by the doctors and nurses who come and go throughout their shifts.
Luis Velez, a nephrologist who practices with Baptist Medical Center, stopped to commend the students on their work and admire the mural. “It’s great to see these students using their talents and doing something so positive,” Dr. Velez said.
(News release courtesy of Baptist Health System)
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About Baptist Health System
Baptist Health System is a trusted provider of hospital and healthcare services in San Antonio and South Central Texas. The system includes six acute-care hospitals (Baptist Medical Center, Mission Trail Baptist Hospital, North Central Baptist Hospital, Northeast Baptist Hospital, and St. Luke’s Baptist Hospital in San Antonio and Resolute Health Hospital in New Braunfels, Texas), which offer more than 1,700 licensed beds. The system also includes eight Baptist Neighborhood Hospitals, Baptist Orthopedic Hospital, Baptist Children’s Hospital at North Central Baptist, Baptist Breast Centers, the Baptist School of Health Professions, HealthLink fitness and rehabilitation centers, Baptist M&S Imaging centers, the Baptist Physician Network, as well as many other ambulatory services and medical office buildings. Baptist Health System is part of Tenet Healthcare based in Dallas, Texas. For more information, visit us at www.baptisthealthsystem.com.