As we near the end of the school year, the seniors have started to lock in their future plans. Many of them have a plan for where they are headed after graduation in May. Healthcare has been a popular career for these seniors, with 10 students as of now heading in that direction. There is a variety of career paths these seniors are planning on taking, including nursing, chiropractic, pharmacy, physical therapy, or occupational therapy assistant.
I talked with Haylie White, who graduated early, about her healthcare career plans. Currently, Haylie works full-time as a CMA (certified medical aide) and occasionally as a CNA in a nursing home in Dubuque. She plans to further her nursing education in the fall of 2025. Haylie feels that she can connect with people on a more personal level, and it is important to her to be with them during their toughest moments in life. Haylie says, “I have had a lot of career ideas, but none of them supported my shopping habits like nursing did.” Once she got her CNA during her junior year, she knew that nursing was the career for her. Her big heart and personality will help her succeed in becoming a nurse.
Hope Haase plans to attend UW-Madison in the fall of 2025 to major in Pharmacy. I asked Hope why she chose this field, and she said, “Helping people and improving their lives has always been something I wanted to do, and I feel that becoming a pharmacist fulfills this want.” She has been accepted into an assurance program for a pharmacy program, which means she has an assured spot as long as she follows all the guidelines. Hope’s schooling will be six years long, but there is no waitlist at UW-Madison.
Elle Pierce plans to attend Clarke University starting in the fall of 2025. She plans to major in physical therapy. “After the experiences I had with it, it made me interested in a career path that helps and betters other people's lives,” said Elle. She knew from her first injury her sophomore year that this career interested her. There is a 3+3 program that allows you to graduate within 6 years of starting the program, and there is no waitlist.
All of these seniors want to make a difference in other people's lives, and they have found the right field with healthcare careers to achieve that goal.