South Texas College students discover the anatomy of their future careers
Students in the STC’s Dual Enrollment Medical Science Academy (DEMSA) traveled to Houston to find out more about their future academic and career opportunities. While they were there, the DEMSA students explored the “Body Worlds 2” exhibit on display at the Houston Museum of Natural Science to learn more about the human body.
They’ve learned how to suture wounds, how to put limbs in mock casts and how to perform certain medical procedures, but the students in the Dual Enrollment Medical Science Academy (DEMSA) at South Texas College took their lessons one step further when they traveled to Houston to find out more about their future career opportunities. As part of this educational trip, the group toured The University of Texas Health Science Center and the University of Houston and spoke with a panel of professors and medical students about the profession and academic opportunities available to them once they earn their associate degrees.
STC’s DEMSA students tour a lab at The University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston and learn more about the type of research they can expect to take part in as medical students.
While they were in Houston, the students also took in the “Body Worlds 2” exhibit on display at the Houston Museum of Natural Science to get a better understanding of how the body functions by exploring real human specimens. The unique opportunity to see the body’s physiology is something that DEMSA student Kezia Correa really enjoyed, especially because it made her realize how intricate the human body really is.
“Having the opportunity to look inside the body and see how every element works together was just fascinating,” she said. “It makes me want to pursue a career in the healthcare field even more because now I can visualize how diseases affect certain organs and what can be done to prevent that from happening. I also liked talking with the medical students about the opportunities available to us once we’re ready to take the next step in our education, and this made the trip even more rewarding. I feel very fortunate to be a part of DEMSA, not only because it’s giving me a head start on my future, but also because it has given me a chance to do things that I might not have been able to do before. So far, it has been an incredible learning experience.”
“By taking students on this trip, we hope to open their eyes to the many options available to them, and we also want to highlight how community colleges can work together with other institutions of higher education to guarantee deserving, hard-working students placement beyond their associate’s degrees,” said Lupe Chavez, coordinator of STC’s dual enrollment academies.
Through STC’s DEMSA, students apply for the two-year dual enrollment program as sophomores and are accepted based on their academic achievements and commitment to personal enrichment. By the time they are seniors, participating students earn 61 college credit hours, enough to graduate with an associate’s degree from the college. DEMSA students also earn CPR certification, are mentored by local health care professionals and have special opportunities to volunteer at medical facilities across the Valley. And, it’s completely free for qualifying students.
South Texas College, a level two community college serving two of the poorest counties in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, launched two dual enrollment academies in medical science and engineering three years ago to provide students with the opportunity to earn college credit while they are still in high school. Since then, the college has had 62 students graduate and go on to place as juniors at universities across the nation. The 2008 graduates of the academies earned more than $1.8M in scholarships to continue their educations.
According to the Texas Education Agency, more than 39 percent of Rio Grande Valley residents over the age of 25 do not earn a high school diploma, much less a college diploma. However, STC’s DEMSA students are the exception; the students’ passion for the medical field motivates them to go the extra mile in their education, juggling a full academic schedule with extracurricular activities, volunteer work, family life and work obligations.
“It’s quite incredible what these students are capable of if they put their minds to it and have someone like STC that believes in them and give them an opportunity to excel,” added Chavez. “The academy helps us create a pathway to a better life for high school students interested in studying and eventually working in the medical field. Our nation’s future depends on our ability to inspire students to achieve all that they’re capable of accomplishing, and that is what STC is trying to do through these dual enrollment programs.”
For more information, visit, http://academicaffairs.southtexascollege.edu/highschool/academies/demsa/ or contact Chavez at 956-872-3499.