Honors program alums act as chaperones

UNMC students Carrie Wilcox (left) and Drew Klinkebiel (right) acted as chaperones this summer for Holdrege-area students participating in a honors program on the UNMC campus. Wilcox and Klinkebiel participated in the program when they were in high school.

Students in the Holdrege Summer Honors Program spent five days in Omaha this summer learning about health sciences and health careers through interactive, hands-on learning opportunities. This year, the 10 high school students from the Holdrege, Neb., area, were chaperoned by two alumni of the program.

“This year was especially fun, because our chaperones had actually attended the program themselves,” said Lisa Jewell, director of the UNMC Youth Learning Center. “We have always hoped that our programs here at the UNMC Youth Learning Center were making a difference. We are now beginning to see the fruits of our labor . students are actually finishing up their undergraduate degrees and coming back to UNMC for training as health care professionals.”

Drew Klinkebiel, a UNMC pharmacy student, attended the program in 2001 as a junior from Cambridge, Neb., and Carrie Wilcox, a UNMC medical student, attended the program in 2000 as a senior from Bertrand, Neb.

Wilcox watched the students’ faces light up during the hands-on opportunities and said it brought back memories of when she attended the program.

“It was a really fun experience and it pointed me in the direction of the career I am headed in now,” Wilcox said. “It helped me open my eyes and realize it was an obtainable goal for someone from rural Nebraska to achieve.”

Klinkebiel said he volunteered as a chaperone because he wanted to give back to his community. But, he said, it wasn’t always easy.

“As a chaperone, it was a challenge trying to balance fun and responsibility,” Klinkebiel said. “I was a friend to the students, but I also had to be a big brother to them and be responsible. I made sure they were safe and paying attention to the seminars and events.”

Jewell prefers having current UNMC students serve as chaperones.

“When the learning day is over and the students have free time, the chaperones can spend time chatting with the young people and answer any questions that they may have regarding graduate school,” she said. “The chaperones are able to give the students the inside scoop on the application, interview and educational process.”

The Holdrege Summer Honors Program succeeded in encouraging Klinkebiel and Wilcox to pursue careers in the health sciences, it is their hope that this year’s students will take away the same feelings.