Fifty-five members of the UNMC High School Alliance are among the students taking classes at UNMC.
The students come from high schools around the Omaha area and take college-level classes at UNMC to prepare for health careers. Each month, UNMC Today profiles an alliance student.
Today we meet:
- Name: Rachel Smith
- High school: Gretna High School
- Year: Senior
How did you get involved in the UNMC High School Alliance?
I actually heard about the Alliance from my dad. He is a physician that works with one of the instructors and has had students shadow him in the past. Knowing my interest in pursuing a medical career, he informed me of the program and encouraged me to ask around to see what I could learn. I asked some of the girls that had done it the year prior, and they told me that they loved it and that I should definitely try to get in, so I did.
What sparked your interest in science?
I have always enjoyed science in school and was given glimpses of the medical world through my dad. Knowing how things worked and what made human beings function and fail has always been something I wanted to know more about and infinitely more interesting to me than math and history have ever been.
What are your career aspirations?
I know I wish to pursue a career in medicine, but in what specific field I am unsure. I have been exposed to a lot of different careers this year through UNMC, and I know that there are many, many more to be explored before I make my final decision.
What has been the best part of your UNMC High School Alliance experience?
The classes at UNMC have been great, but the friends I have gained from the Alliance have been my most rewarding experience. I have met and befriended incredible people here that I otherwise never would have had the chance to meet. Just being able to interact with a group of likeminded peers has been a totally new and exciting experience that I treasure.