The Alliance in Focus: Meet Shekinah Kiagiri

Sixty-one 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 the Omaha area and take college-level classes at UNMC to prepare for health careers.

Today we meet:

• Name: Shekinah Kiagiri
• High school: Ralston High School
• Year: Junior

How did you get involved in the UNMC High School Alliance?
I had been looking for opportunities to explore the health sciences career field, and found that Ralston was a part of the UNMC High School Alliance. After researching the program, it seemed like the ideal match for my interests. I would get the chance to take college-level courses taught by professionals at a premier medical institution.

What sparked your interest in science?

I grew up in Kenya, where I was surrounded by health disparities, and I wanted to be able to help. Through this experience I developed an interest in the health field, and science was my entry into the formal study of these areas. The different courses that I have taken have given me a solid foundation in science, and I’m ecstatic to now be able to take more specific classes that will allow me to learn and explore different health fields.

What are your career aspirations?

I would like to utilize my experience in the alliance to get a better idea of which area I would like to pursue in college. My goal is to work with disadvantaged communities here in the U.S, Kenya, and other countries where people struggle to meet their basic health needs. It would be amazing to work with organizations such as Doctors Without Borders, Medical Teams International or the World Health Organization.

What has been the best part of your experience so far?

Another high school alliance student and I recently got the opportunity to shadow William Thorell, M.D., who specializes in neurosurgery. We were able to witness Dr. Thorell perform surgery on a patient. He walked us through the surgical procedures as we observed in the viewing room. He also took us on rounds where he would visit with his recovering patients. Watching the actual interaction between patients and doctor really added a nice component to the course work we are studying. Getting to see the medical science as a service to people beyond just studying from a book really brought the experience to life.