Migrant Youth Explore Career Possibilities at UK

LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 9, 2015) – At an early age, Jaime Hernandez was drawn to science. While other children started reading Dr. Seuss books, Hernandez gravitated toward books about rain cycles and nature.

Now 15 years old and contemplating his future, Hernandez believes his passion for science will eventually translate to a career in health care. But he’s hesitant to commit to a future in the medical profession without first talking to real health care providers and exploring all career opportunities within the medical industry.

“I want to make sure, at a young age, that having a medical career is something for me,” Hernandez said. “I can keep talking about how I want to be a doctor or nurse, but someone learning to be in that profession has to be very dedicated and ambitious. Even though I have those qualities, there could be something that I don’t like – I want to find out now rather than 10 years later.”

Hernandez, a native of Mexico who lives with his family in Paris, Kentucky, was one of 47 students to participate in the first Northeastern Kentucky Migrant Education Program hosted at the University of Kentucky in partnership with the Area Health Education Center (AHEC). During the 2015 camp held June 15-18, high school students from Eastern Kentucky visited UK’s campus to explore career options in health care, engineering, law enforcement, business and more. Throughout the week, faculty members from the UK College of Nursing, UK College of Engineering, the UK Gatton College of Business, the UK Graduate School and UK College of Medicine presented information about academic programs and career possibilities at the University of Kentucky.

For the past eight years, the Northeastern Kentucky Migrant Education Program has provided educational support programs for migrant students from 37 Eastern Kentucky counties. A similar program has operated solely in Fleming County for 20 years. In accordance with the recently revised College and Career Readiness requirements in Kentucky, the program prepares children of migrant families to pursue post-secondary education or alternative career paths. In recent years, summer camps camps have taken place at two regional universities. This year marks the first time students and parents selected the University of Kentucky as the host site. The AHEC program at UK developed a curriculum and schedule for the students based on input from parents and areas of interest identified by students.

“This summer, the University of Kentucky played a major role in guiding Kentucky’s migrant youth toward rewarding career paths,” Carlos Marin, assistant dean for community and cultural engagement at AHEC, said. “It’s our hope that students left their camp experience with greater knowledge and awareness of career possibilities in health care, as well as other professions.”

Highlights of the camp included a live minimally invasive surgery performed by Kentucky Children’s Hospital pediatric surgeon Dr. Joseph Iocono, a tour of Bluegrass Community and Technical College Campus and a chemistry lab experiment. Hernandez was most excited about looking inside a real trauma center during the group’s tour of the UK Chandler Hospital. He was encouraged by an inspirational talk from UK Provost Timothy Tracy given the final day of the camp.

“He talked about never giving up and to always go the extra mile because it would pay at the end,” Hernandez said. “It was a really awesome experience hearing him talk, and I will never forget it.”

MEDIA CONTACT: Elizabeth Adams, elizabethadams@uky.edu