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UMMS High School Health Careers participants (from left) Doherty High School students Erinma Anya and Vivian Pham, Clinton High School senior Christian Barreto, and Burncoat High School senior Irene Yankey. |
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Worcester South High School senior Anthony Walley learns about heart monitors from Irma Torres, EMT, during his internship at the UMass Memorial Medical Center Heart Station. |
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UMMS High School Health Careers participants (standing) Christian Barreto and Irene Yankey chat with patient Melissa Benoit during their internship in the UMass Memorial Medical Center oncology infusion clinic. |
Along with warmer days on campus, the sight of teenagers wearing blue lab coats heralds summer at UMass Medical School. This year, 18 local high school juniors and seniors are spending part of their summer getting a head start on their future careers in medicine by participating in the High School Health Careers program.
The program for high-achieving students who are members of minority populations underrepresented in health care, or are economically or educationally disadvantaged, exposes them to careers in medicine, biomedical sciences and biotechnology at an early stage in their academic development; encourages them to set high academic goals; and assists them in developing strategies to achieve them. Its goal is to increase the numbers of individuals from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds in health care and science careers.
“I’ve always been really interested in science and considered becoming a doctor, so I thought the program would be a great way to see what it’s like and if it’s right for me,” said South High School senior Anthony Walley. A scholar and athlete who is interested in sports medicine, Walley’s expectations were exceeded. “I like the internship because you get a feel of what it’s like to work with patients.”
During the four-week residential program, in which the students live in dormitories at Worcester State University for an authentic college experience, they learn about a broad range of health care and science professions. Rigorous academics are complemented with enrichment activities, field trips and seminars in cultural and contemporary health issues. In addition to attending classes, students participate in hands-on clinical internships at UMass Memorial Medical Center, which give them the opportunity to interact with patients as well as physicians and other health care professionals.
“I want to be in this program not only because I can attain it due to my cultural background, but because it will help me attain my goals,” Clinton High School senior Christian Barreto wrote in his personal statement. “I will be the first in my family to attend college,” said the son of Brazilian immigrants, an honors student who applied to the program to get a “real feel” of the medical world, and to get a taste of college life.
The High School Health Careers program’s non-stop educational, enrichment and social activities culminate in research presentations at the closing ceremonies. There, in front of proud family members, the students receive certificates of completion and awards for exceptional performance.
“Now I know what I want in life and how to go after it,” said aspiring pediatrician Irene Yankey, a Burncoat High School senior who immigrated to Worcester from Ghana with her family when she was 13 years old. “I’ve gained more than they gave us.”
