Sixty 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 Omaha and take college-level classes to prepare for health careers.
Today we meet:
- Name: Martha Sanchez
- High School: Ralston High School
- Year: Junior
How did you learn about the UNMC High School Alliance?
My counselor gave me a pamphlet and informed me about the opportunity while we were doing my sophomore audit. I hesitated before applying, because I didn’t think I would be accepted. But my sister convinced me to apply, and I did.
What sparked your interest in science?
When I was younger, I remember going to the doctor’s office for my checkups. Every time my doctor came in, I would ask him millions of questions about what he was doing, why he performed certain tests and how he performed them. Since then, I’ve always loved science in the medical aspect; something clicked inside me that pushed me to love it.
What are your career aspirations?
I would like to graduate from a college in Nebraska and hopefully apply to a medical school and become a pediatric surgeon. After that, I would like to join Doctors Without Borders or practice medicine in Nebraska.
What has been the best part of your UNMC High School Alliance experience so far?
I have really enjoyed the shadowing opportunities we’ve had, because you don’t experience that in a high school setting. I have shadowed a neurosurgeon, a certified nursing assistant and many more professionals. I have made connections with them while learning about the different health care careers available. I have also enjoyed the classes I have taken, because they have rigorous curriculums and they are very hands-on in the teaching aspect. I had an infectious diseases class where we had lab days in which we grew bacteria on agar plates and later performed tests in order to find specific diseases in patients.