By Karen Villarreal

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – JUNE 6, 2025 – What does “Career Day” want to be when it grows up? A two-day interactive camp for high school students to help those with healthcare aspirations find their path to the field. 

Dr. Michael Lehker, dean of the UTRGV College of Health Professions, welcomed nearly 100 local high school students to the inaugural immersive experience, held on the UTRGV Edinburg Campus, May 22-23. 

“The solution to our region’s chronic health problems sits in front of me,” Lehker said to an audience of recently graduating sophomores from nine high schools. “If you’re coming into healthcare with that caring heart, you will be the ones helping your families – your communities – heal.” 

The “Discover Your Future in Healthcare” event aimed to spark students’ curiosity about healthcare careers through 12 hands-on sessions led by UTRGV faculty and graduate student assistants. 

In some sessions, students examined blood samples, extracted DNA from a strawberry, and toured labs and facilities used in the health professions — including those for testing assistive devices and analyzing walking patterns. Faculty members also served as model patients so students could practice checking heart and lung function and conduct a simulated physical therapy intake. 

In one of the sessions, the students explored the equipment in various labs and facilities used in the health professions like “SAM,” a mannequin used to train auscultation or identification of heart and lung sounds. (UTRGV Photo by Paul Chouy)

The experiences highlighted roles students could pursue with degrees from departments in the college, such as physical or occupational therapy, kinesiology, and clinical laboratory science, among others. 

“In healthcare, every role matters,” Lehker said. “Each one makes a tremendous contribution to the health of their patients.” 

Sheyla Reyes, who will soon be a junior at McAllen High School, said she has been interested in healthcare since elementary school. 

“I want to go into sports medicine or orthopedics,” she said. “But this opened my eyes to different careers in the medical field. I’m open to everything.”  

Students were recommended by their high school counselors and GEAR UP coordinators based on their stated interest in a medical career, although some weren’t yet sure what that might look like for them. 

Dr. Lin Wang, associate dean for Student Success in the College of Health Professions, assured students they were in the right place to explore their options. 

“That’s what this camp is for,” Wang said. “It’s a place to ask questions, try new things, and discover what excites you.” 

Wang brought together CoHP professors Blanca Robles, Melissa Gonzalez, Dr. Lydia Aguilera and Dr. Zelma Mata, who assembled a planning committee to implement the program, including coordination with Region One representative Beatrize Valenzuela. Financial support from the Doctors’ Educational Foundation helped make the event possible. 

In the Biomedical Sciences hands-on sessions, students extracted DNA from a strawberry, which they took home with them in a small vial. (UTRGV Photo by Paul Chouy)

EXPLORING NEW GROUND 

Palm View High School student Camilla Regalado said she found her calling during the session hosted by the Nutrition and Dietetics Department, “Create a Healthy Snack.” 

“I didn’t really know nutrition could be a career before,” Regalado said. “I only knew about pharmacy or nursing, so today I got really excited when I saw it could be like this. I immediately got interested in it.” 

Brandon Guerra, who will soon be a junior at San Isidro High School, said learning about different healthcare careers broadened his perspective. He is now considering medical laboratory science. 

“It’s always good to get as much information as you can,” he said. “I’d like to go into law enforcement or maybe forensics – where medicine and law enforcement intermingle.” 

McAllen High School student Eva Vallejo grew up around medical professionals, so she always thought she might follow a similar path.  

“My grandpa was an anesthesiologist, my mom is a nurse, and my aunt is an optometrist. I’ve thought about anesthesiology, or neurosurgery too,” she said. “But after this whole experience, I’m really looking into PA – physician assistant.”  

The event concluded with a White Coat Ceremony, a symbolic rite of passage in the healthcare field. 

“We are so happy to have welcomed these hopefully future Vaqueros,” said Dr. Zelma Mata, chair of the Department of Health & Human Performance. “For some, it was their first time on campus.”  

For more information about the event, contact lin.wang@utrgv.edu or call 956-665-5263.

Dr. Michael Lehker, dean of the College of Health Professions, welcomed nearly 100 students on the first day of the emmersive experience at the UTRGV campus in Edinburg. (UTRGV Photo by Paul Chouy)