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: Barrett McDonald
- School: Millard South High School
- Year: Senior
How did you learn about the UNMC High School Alliance?
I learned about the UNMC High School Alliance from a past student of the program. One day I was talking about the academy programs with a few friends, and she heard me talking about my love for science and health. She recommended that I apply for a spot in the High School Alliance Program. I did just that, and, as they say, “The rest is history.”
What sparked your interest in science?
My spark for science, the medical field specifically, started the first time I went in to look at the X-rays of my sister’s broken fibula. I was about 7 years old, and I had no idea what I was looking at or what any of the terms that were being exchanged meant, but I knew it was something I was interested in and something I wanted to learn about.
What are your career aspirations?
My career aspirations are to be in orthopedics and sports medicine. I have always loved sports, and have played them my entire life. I will continue to play football in college for the United States Air Force Academy. Naturally, over the course of my career I have sustained an assortment of ailments, and I would love to be in a career that helps athletes get back onto the field as soon as possible, because I know that is what I have always wanted as an athlete.
What has been the best part of your UNMC High School Alliance experience so far?
The best and most unique part of being in the UNMC High School Alliance program has easily been the experiences in the anatomy course. The access to the professional doctors, professors, and especially the cadavers, will be invaluable to my future successes, and I could not be more pleased with what I am getting out of those experiences.