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Standing from left: Eric Hald, Lisa Jewell, Pat Nott, Randy Wells, Brian Watt, Jake Johnson, Jenesis Tacha, Aaron Hueftle, Sara Rybacki, Michelle Choutka, Jake Wiesen; Abe Farhat, student worker, and Michaela Bolamperti, assistant to the director, UNMC Student Learning Center. Sitting from left, Melissa DeJonge and Theresia Dixon. |
“It’s a pleasure hosting the program for the Holdrege Summer Honors students,” said Lisa Jewell, UNMC student services and director of the Holdrege Summer Honors program. “They always arrive in Omaha excited and ready to learn. They interact well with the faculty and staff and ask great questions. This program provides them with an opportunity to see things that are not available in their hometown hospitals.”
Five-day program
The students toured The Lied Transplant Center, learned about organ donation, and learned how to drill and fill teeth at the College of Dentistry. After the program, they returned to their respective hometowns and participated in a week-long shadowing experience with a health science professional of their choice.
For the past 25 years, UNMC and Holdrege’s Educational Service Unit No. 11 have collaborated to provide this intensive five-day program. The program consists of lectures by UNMC faculty and staff, reviews of the health science professions taught at the university and a series of interactive learning experiences and social outings.
2003 participants
The 2003 Holdrege Summer Honors Program students and their home schools were: Melissa DeJonge and Sara Rybacki, Franklin High School; Theresia Dixon and Pat Nott, Arapahoe High School; Eric Hald, Aaron Hueftle, Jake Johnson, Brian Watt and Randy Wells, Holdrege High School; and Jenesis Tacha, Bertrand High School.
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UNMC chaperones Michelle Choutka and Jake Wiesen. |
UNMC chaperones
During the week, the students were chaperoned by Michelle Choutka of Battle Creek and Jake Wiesen of Cozad. The second-year UNMC medical students lived in the dorms with the teen-agers and helped them explore Omaha.
“These kids have a lot of energy and come to UNMC really eager to learn,” said Choutka, who participated in a program similar to the Holdrege Summer Honors Program. “The program I attended really gave me a glimpse of what medical school would be like,” she said. “I met people who helped me decide that med school was what I really wanted to do.”
Intellectual experience for all
Wiesen said programs such as the Holdrege Summer Honors Program are helpful as students plan for their future.
“I definitely wish I had experienced this kind of program,” Wiesen said. “When you come from a small town, the ability to come to a major campus like this and spend an entire week, meeting with top faculty members and doing so many hands-on learning things, is of immeasurable value.
“Plus, these kids are so smart. They were constantly coming to Michelle and me to settle little intellectual arguments. A couple of the teens really enjoyed debating and analyzing stuff. But it got to where Michelle and I were wondering what they were going to ask us about next. They really challenged our intellect.”