Sixty-five members of the UNMC High School Alliance are among the students taking classes at UNMC this academic year.
The students come from high schools around Omaha and take college-level classes to prepare for health careers.
Today we meet:
- Name: Rizwan Siddiqui
- High school: Millard North High School
- Year: Senior
How did you learn about the UNMC High School Alliance?
I learned about the alliance through a family friend, Ayesha Hussain, who was an Alliance student two years ago.
What sparked your interest in science?
Since I was a child, I have always loved to explore and learn about nature. I used to love to read books about genetic and developmental disorders. I once read a whole encyclopedia about the topic, and my favorite parts were the personal stories by people and families who were impacted by the disorders. I also like to draw sketches and make written reports about other scientific topics I have taken an interest in over the years, such as ancient humans and the stars.
What are your career aspirations?
I want to be in the medical field where I can have the most impact on helping others. I have been interested in genetic medicine and psychiatry, but the alliance has opened my mind up to pathology, social medicine and possibly even research. Genetics and cancer research are making many breakthroughs in this age.
Tell us your three favorite things about UNMC High School Alliance experience so far?
- One of my favorite things is the team experience. I am naturally quite reserved, but I have many opportunities to share my knowledge, learn from others, and simply talk to people!
- Another favorite thing about the Alliance is the diversity of all the different classes and teachers. I am exposed to many angles about health care, such as learning about researchers and thinking like a pathologist. Even in one class, we explore a subject so that we can still use much of what we learned in any future medical career.
- Third is the reading for this semester. I think it is super cool that genetics can reveal so much about our ancestry, as we learn in our book, “DNA USA.” Two other books — “A Nurse’s Story” and “Mountains Beyond Mountains” — are also turning out to be amazing books. I am learning about the struggles that nurses and patients have, and I am learning about a doctor who started a hospital for the poor in Haiti.