{"id":132707,"date":"2026-06-01T12:06:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T17:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/?p=132707"},"modified":"2026-05-29T14:37:02","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T19:37:02","slug":"diagnosing-a-passion-unmcs-high-school-alliance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2026\/06\/01\/diagnosing-a-passion-unmcs-high-school-alliance\/","title":{"rendered":"Diagnosing a passion: UNMC\u2019s High School Alliance"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Every weekday afternoon, Taylana Tolbert leaves Bellevue East High School and heads to UNMC, where 20 minutes later she is staring at a Petri dish under the bright fluorescent lights of a research lab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Around her are students from other high schools, all in matching shirts, ID badges clipped on, looking like they belong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because they do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019re part of UNMC\u2019s High School Alliance, a program launched in 2010 to give motivated high school students a college-level introduction to the health sciences \u2014 and learn about opportunities they might not otherwise have considered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe started the first year with 32 students,\u201d said Heidi Kaschke, director of the High School Alliance. \u201cNow, we have almost 100 students, and we\u2019re basically operating on the same budget.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nearly 300 juniors and seniors from 25 Omaha-area high schools apply each year for about 100 seats \u2013 growth that reflects both demand and trust. But the program\u2019s impact goes far beyond enrollment numbers, Kaschke said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022\u2022\u2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The High School Alliance was never meant to resemble a traditional high school classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re trying to simulate what it\u2019s going to be like in college, and then in medical school or nursing school, pharmacy school and even graduate school,\u201d Kaschke said. \u201cWe\u2019re pretty no-nonsense about that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"High
High School Alliance pharmacy students participate in a hands-on lab dissecting sheep hearts. The session is guided by two medical anatomy students, including a High School Alliance alum.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For Millard West High School alum Grace MacLeod, now a second-year UNMC medical student, the difference was immediately apparent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn high school, you\u2019re in structured boxes,\u201d MacLeod said. \u201cHere, you have to be responsible for yourself and your schedule. You\u2019re communicating with real doctors, real faculty. Independence and personal growth happen fast.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The program, she said, helped her understand campus life, professionalism and expectations. \u201cYou\u2019re surrounded by people who want to be here, and the energy is contagious.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That culture is something Jaynie Bird, a certified high school teacher with the program, sees each year. \u201cStudents create lifelong friendships here,\u201d Bird said. \u201cThey find people who are like them, who have the same mindset, goals and drive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The High School Alliance program primarily is funded by a local private foundation. This foundation requires that 35-40% of the participants qualify for reduced fees at their home high schools, ensuring access for students from a wide variety of backgrounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe barrier isn\u2019t academic ability,\u201d Kaschke said. \u201cIt\u2019s opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022\u2022\u2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the program\u2019s defining features is its breadth. Students often arrive with a narrow sense of what health care looks like, Kaschke said, adding these views commonly are shaped by internet searches and pop culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen we interview students, most of the boys tell us they want to be an orthopedic surgeon,\u201d she said. \u201cThey look up what makes the most money, and that\u2019s what comes back.\u201d She often hears a different pattern from girls: NICU nurse, pediatric nurse or OB-GYN.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those ambitions are valid, she said, and needed. \u201cWe\u2019re always going to need orthopedic surgeons, and we clearly need more nurses. But our mission is to show them everything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
The pharmacy compound lab, where students get hands-on experience, is a popular stop for visiting community leaders and elected officials interested in High School Alliance. This day’s experience included a visit by Jack Stark, PhD, a member of the NU Board of Regents.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEverything\u201d includes pathology, microbiology, infectious diseases, pharmacy, public health, research, clinical labs and the behind-the-scenes roles that keep an academic medical center running, from hospital administration to legal and compliance professions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cStudents don\u2019t understand all the possibilities,\u201d Kaschke said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alliance students say that variegated exposure is transformative. Once on campus, perspectives can shift quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t realize how fast career goals can change,\u201d said Bryan High School student Sarah Mesfin. \u201cThis program broadens your horizon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hands-on experiences often spark those changes. For Bellevue East\u2019s Taylana Tolbert, the turning point came in the infectious disease lab. \u201cOnce I worked with microorganisms, everything clicked,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s when I realized I want to pursue medicine and research.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Others had ambition-defining experiences during operating and labor-and-delivery room simulations, inside the cadaver lab or while hearing guest speakers share their stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI came in thinking there were only doctors and nurses,\u201d said Madilynn Winger of Bellevue West. \u201cThen you hear about pathology, public health, research \u2014 all these careers you didn\u2019t even know existed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022\u2022\u2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond academics, students say the program fosters a powerful sense of belonging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t sure how we\u2019d be treated as high school students on a graduate-level campus,\u201d said Alyssa Lawrence, a High School Alliance graduate and Omaha Central High School alum who now is continuing her path toward medicine. \u201cBut there was never a moment where we felt out of place. We were meant to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alumnus Grant Neuverth, a UNMC medical student and Millard North High School alum, agreed. \u201cWe weren\u2019t treated like high schoolers. It was a thrill to be at a collegiate institution and be treated like we belonged.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students, who spend two hours of every school day on the UNMC campus, also describe overcoming imposter syndrome. \u201cBefore this, I thought medicine was for a certain type of person,\u201d Dinan said. \u201cNow, I realize anyone can do this if they care and put in the work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked to name one unexpected skill gained, students\u2019 responses varied:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Networking.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Discipline.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Optimism.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Healthy habits.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Friendship.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    For many alumni, the program not only shapes career interests but their life\u2019s direction. \u201cIt\u2019s the reason I ended up at UNMC for medical school,\u201d said Neuverth, crediting Kaschke\u2019s mentorship in guiding his path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"High
    High School Alliance participants test their problem-solving skills as a team.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    For MacLeod, a public health course proved especially influential. \u201cBefore that, I had no idea what public health even was, so it was a light bulb moment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    She later earned degrees in public health and physiology. She now plans to practice medicine witha strong population-health lens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The program also helps students realize when medicine isn\u2019t the right fit \u2013 something Bird considers a success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cWe absolutely see that as a win,\u201d she said.\u201cThey\u2019re figuring things out early.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Alumni often return to mentor students, including MacLeod, who left Nebraska for her undergraduate degree but applied only to UNMC for medical school. \u201cI had invisible strings connecting me here,\u201d she said. \u201cThis program taught me that I belong here. Now I get to help others believe that, too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u2022\u2022\u2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Looking ahead, program leaders are exploring ways to expand summer research opportunities, build middle-school pipelines and strengthen statewide pathways \u2013 efforts that could greatly widen the circle of students who benefit from the program. For now, Kaschke measures success by the connections made: an alliance alum returning to speak to current participants, a medical student mentoring a teen with med school dreams or a curious student discovering an unexpected path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cWe don\u2019t get to work with every student who could benefit from the program,\u201d she said. \u201cBut for the ones we do reach, we make it count.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For MacLeod, that rings true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cThis program taught me that I belonged here. And now, every time I see High School Alliance students on campus, I make sure they feel welcome.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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