Eighteen high school juniors and seniors from throughout Nebraska participated in the 2008 Summer Health Professions Career Workshop at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Applications come from across the state and 18 students were selected to learn about health sciences and the health careers that are available to them.
“We particularly like to expose the students to areas of the hospital and to discuss health professions that may not be available in their home towns,” said Lisa Jewell, director of the UNMC Youth Learning Center. “We always enjoy having the Summer Health Professions Career Workshop students here on campus. The students are the best of the best in rural Nebraska communities.”
This year’s students included 12 juniors and six seniors. Here are some of the comments they made about the workshop.
Heather Husen, a junior at Ponca Public High School, said: “The few days I spent at UNMC have been a wonderful experience and one of the highlights of my summer. I came back home with a wealth of new knowledge that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.”
Alex Van Norman, a junior at York High School, said: “It was an amazing experience to attend the UNMC workshop. All the medical educators were extremely helpful, and I met some really nice kids from all across Nebraska.”
Brian Bird, a junior at Burwell High School, said: “This program was really a lot of fun, and it was educational at the same time. It was a great experience and it really helped me get a better idea about what jobs that I might want to do in the future.”
Participating Nebraska students are listed below by their hometown, year in high school, name of high school, and their parents:
Burwell – Brian Bird, junior, Burwell High School, parents-Dan and Maureen Bird
Callaway – Colton Schied, junior, Callaway High School, parents-Stan and Kim Schied
Columbus – Jason Krings, junior, Columbus High School, parents-Jeff and Sandy Krings
Elmwood – Brooke Spiering, junior, Elmwood-Murdock High School, parents-Dan and Michelle Spiering
Fremont – Kylee Earll, junior, Fremont High School, parents-Chris and Sharee Maki
Grand Island – Nyachara Tuom, junior, Grand Island Senior High School, parents-Thomas and Nyayual Tuom
Holdrege – Kristin Killough, senior, Holdrege High School, parents-Brad and Dana Killough
Imperial – Miranda Knobbe, senior, Chase County High School, parents-Glen and Sue Knobbe
Lindsey – Olivia Wiese, junior, Newman Grove High School, parents-Steve and Missy Wiese
North Platte – Morgan Harms, junior, North Platte St. Patrick High School, parents-Jim and Jacque Harms
Orchard – Dillon Finch, junior, Orchard Public High School, parents-Randy and Sally Finch
Orleans – Mallory Murdoch, senior, Holdrege High School, parents-Marlin and Polly Murdoch
Ponca – Heather Husen, junior, Ponca Public High School, parents-Steve and Mary Husen
Tecumseh – Lindsey Badertscher, senior, Johnson County Central High School, parents- Scott and Laurie Badertscher
Tryon – Kate Seifer, senior, McPherson County High School, parents-Dean and Sherri Seifer
Verdigre – Angela Boggs, junior, Verdigre High School, parents-Kevin and Betty Boggs
Waverly – Lauren Wight, senior, Waverly High School, parents-Mike and Sandi Wight
York – Alex Van Norman, junior, York High School, parents-Kurt and Annette Van Norman
The 2009 Summer Health Professions Career Workshop will run from July 28-31. Applications will be sent to school counselors in mid-March, and completed applications are due back to UNMC by June 1. Applicants will be notified of their acceptance by the end of June.
For further information, contact Jewell at (402) 559-6357.
UNMC is the only public health science center in the state. Its educational programs are responsible for training more health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other institution. Through their commitment to education, research, patient care and outreach, UNMC and its hospital partner, The Nebraska Medical Center, have established themselves as one of the country’s leading centers in cancer, transplantation biology, bioterrorism preparedness, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, genetics, biomedical technology and ophthalmology. UNMC’s research funding from external sources now exceeds $80 million annually and has resulted in the creation of more than 2,400 highly skilled jobs in the state. UNMC’s physician practice group, UNMC Physicians, includes 513 physicians in 50 specialties and subspecialties who practice primarily in The Nebraska Medical Center. For more information, go to UNMC’s Web site at www.unmc.edu.