The aftermath of High School can be full of unknown directions for students. College is often seen as a blurred path, tuition as impossible to pay off, and scholarships as the solution to it all: free tuition, reduced housing, and guaranteed admission to the UNMC Medical Doctorate (M.D.) program.

  The world of medicine is a common interest but can be daunting for students as the average schooling for a medical career is around 8 years; approximately the length of elementary school. The excessive amount of stress, money, and time can discourage students, not to mention the taunting acceptance rates for medical school. All these factors haunt first-gens and disguise the opportunity to advance towards a medical profession as impossible. 

The UHOP program at the University of Omaha Nebraska (UNO) offers an opportunity for students to access a doable path toward the medical field as it offers tuition assistance starting freshmen year, an automatic UNO Pre-medical Committee sponsorship, and guaranteed admission to the M.D program at UNMC. Senior Kidist Negus was one of the 5 students accepted to the success-paving program.

“The mission of UHOP is to diversify their healthcare providers, specifically, medical doctors in the Omaha area,” Negus said. “UHOP is a good opportunity for first-gen people, it’s not targeted for only first-gen students, but it pays for your tuition and makes undergraduate school more accessible for students who don’t have money in their family.”

While medical professions are found to be the common interest of students, Negus has a much deeper connection with the field of medicine.

“What really did it for me was my personal experience with my family being in the hospital,” Negus said. “I grew up translating for my family when they had their doctor visits.”

Aside from Negus’s medical interest, she has been an active leader in promoting and awarding diversity in the school through the club, Papio PROUD. This has played a role in her decision to become an uprising leader in medicine.

“Being in Papio PROUD was really important in preparing for healthcare because, in the medical landscape we have right now we are not trying to pathologize our patients but focus more on patient-centered care and delivering culturally competent care,” Negus said. “The Multicultural fair has allowed me to learn about the cultures in our community.”

A future in the medical field is not easy but, yet, not impossible. College can be seen as an unattainable goal but with determination and perseverance, students can achieve success through programs such as UHOP; offering an inclusive opportunity for students such as Kidist Negus, to find a bright future in medicine.