Summer Study Programs for High School Students
While many high schoolers spend the summer hanging out with friends or working part-time jobs, a handful of ambitious teens are getting a jump start on their futures through our summer study programs.
Children’s Mercy offers two summer programs specifically designed for high school students from backgrounds that are underrepresented in medicine. Summer Training in Academic Research (STAR 2.0) gives high school students an inside view of the complex world of health care and medical research at the Children’s Mercy Research Institute. ProX is a city-wide program that connects students with real-world learning experiences in the Kansas City metro area, including at CM, to help them learn in a hands-on environment and gain experience in the professional world.
STAR 2.0 reveals complex layers of health care
Even when they were just a few weeks into their program, the students were already buzzing about how much they’ve learned. “I was surprised to learn that there are so many more aspects of health care besides just being a doctor or nurse,” said STAR 2.0 participant Lyra Johnson, a sophomore from Shawnee Mission North High School. “We’ve been able to tour different parts of the hospital, like the Emergency Department, Patient Progression Hub and even the helipad – that was really cool!”
While most of the students aspire to a career in the health care field, their interests range from neurosurgery to psychology to genetic research. “I think it’s important to spend your time wisely with studying and academics,” said STAR 2.0 student Macaulay Ayala, a junior at Van Horn High School. “The road to a medical career is a long one, with college, med school and sometimes more. You really have to understand who you hope to help and why.” Macaulay, an offensive lineman for his high school football team, is passionate about orthopedics. He has a heart for the elderly and also wants to help athletes recover from injuries on the field.
ProX asks students: “What are you going to do with your potential?”
ProX, an initiative of the Ewing Kauffman Foundation, offers paid summer internships at a variety of Kansas City-area employers. High school students get real-world learning experiences and acquire Market Value Assets – experiences that will prepare them for future learning and employment.
ProX intern Arleth Varela describes Children’s Mercy as “a place where I feel welcomed and motivated to improve myself.” She was part of a group that designed a 12-month curriculum partnership between CM and Wonderscope children’s museum, where CMRI team members will visit the museum to demonstrate a science experiment to children and explain how it connects to medical research. Arleth’s group – along with 16 of the 17 other ProX interns across CM – placed in the top 20 for their pitch presentations among the hundreds of ProX interns in Kansas City.
In 2024, Children’s Mercy hosted 19 ProX students in both clinical and non-clinical departments. In addition to each student being assigned a project in their department, all students came together each week for a guest speaker series to learn about various careers in health care, including radiology, child life, transport, lab and nursing.
“Our goal was for each student to be exposed to at least 10 different health care careers by the end of their internship,” said Angie Richardson, Talent Acquisition Program Director. “We have three students who graduated in May who are interested in working at CMKC as a result of this experience and several others who I’m sure we will see again after graduation.”
The culmination of the ProX program is a one-day event where all 300 students participate in a pitch presentation competition at the KC Convention Center. Students have the opportunity to highlight the project they worked on and ask for funds to bring their vision to life. The CMKC ProX students excelled, with eight of the nine departments placing in the top 20 pitches at the conference. “We are extremely proud of this group of students and are excited to follow them into the future,” Angie said.
Never a dull moment
While the high schoolers in both programs are accomplished and focused, there’s still time to have fun along the way. “My teacher, Ms. Farr, is tough but loving,” said Emely Velasquez, a senior at University Academy who participated in the STAR 2.0 program. “And the other students are great friends. We learn a lot, but we also goof around a bit!”
Lyra agreed: “I get kind of bored in the summers, and this is really interesting,” she shared. Lyra – like many of the students in the program – has an active extracurricular life during the school year, taking on leadership roles in clubs and organizations like HOSA, a group for students planning on a career in health care.
“I think being here is the best possible use of my time,” said Michelle Ngatara, a junior at Olathe North High School. “We get so much experience and enrichment – it makes it worth it. I’m learning something new every day, seeing behind the scenes of a major hospital – for me, this is what I want to do!”
Pursuing passions in research
Students in the STAR 2.0 program also have a chance to work on individual research projects over the course of the summer. With mentorship from a Children’s Mercy team member and their STAR 2.0 teachers, they learn about all aspects of medical research and will submit their final paper to a peer-reviewed journal to be considered for publication. Thanks to generous philanthropic support, each student receives a stipend for attending, which allows students who were planning to work over the summer to be able to participate.
Building a pathway to the future
Danielle Farr is a middle school science teacher at University Academy and has taught in the STAR 2.0 program since its inception in 2021. In that time, the student group has grown from just five participants to 19 in the 2024 cohort. “I believe so strongly in the ideals of the STAR 2.0 program,” Danielle shared. “In order for us to prepare our students to be the next clinicians and science researchers, it is imperative that we help them visualize themselves in those fields.”
Students eagerly embrace the opportunity to network and build connections with the people they meet during the summer. It’s clear that the many CM researchers and clinicians who act as mentors in the programs also value the perspectives and potential of these young innovators. And that connection makes all the difference.
“This is our vision for the program,” said Danielle. “We want the students to feel comfortable and empowered to remove any obstacles that would hinder them from pursuing their dreams of entering the science research and/or medical fields.”
Learn more about the STAR 2.0 and ProX summer study programs.