Dream Makers celebrate graduation

Category: Community News Community News
Published: 06 May 2016 06 May 2016

La Plata Middle School student Marcos Martinez celebrated his graduation from the Dream Makers Club. There are clubs at the middle schools in Bayard, Deming, Lordsburg and Silver City. (Courtesy Photo)

May 3, 2016, Lordsburg, NM: Last month, Dream Makers Clubs from across southwest New Mexico gathered in Lordsburg with their families and friends to celebrate their year of exploring health care careers. Over 60 middle school students participated in the Dream Makers Club this academic year.

GǣThis is our most successful program reaching out to rural schools,Gǥ said Teresa Madrid during her speech to the graduating students. Madrid is the Program Specialists for the University of New Mexico's Health Sciences Center Office of Diversity. FORWARD NM partners with UNM and local school districts make the Dream Maker Clubs possible.

The Club has chapters in Deming's Red Mountain Middle School, Lordsburg's Duran-Tarango Middle School, and Silver City's La Plata Middle School. Teacher Katrina Bustillos sponsors the club at La Plata Middle School.

La Plata Middle School student, Marcos Martinez, 14, said his Dream Makers experience was helpful, GǣI have a few careers in mind now.Gǥ He added his favorite part of the program was visiting the UNM campus.

Martinez's mother, Tammie Dominguez said the program benefited her son. GǣBefore this he didn't know what he wanted to do as a career. This program helped to steer him in a positive direction.Gǥ Dominguez added Martinez's older sister, Leala, previously participated in Dream Makers; the experience led her towards a career as a paramedic.

Madelynn Valdez, 14-year-old from Deming's Red Mountain Middle School, said, GǣI learned about the different medical fields, and decided to become a surgeon.Gǥ

Dream Maker Selia Sanez, 15, said the program helped her decide to become an ultrasound technician and hopes to specialize in prenatal ultrasounds. Also a Duran-Tarango student, Sanez added, GǣI'll take more science classes now for my future career.Gǥ

Dream Makers gives students a chance to experience the diversity of careers in the medical field. Students participate in hands-on labs, visit with health care professionals, and tour local health care facilities. Their club experience culminates with a visit to the prestigious University of New Mexico School of Medicine and site-seeing in Albuquerque.

Like many rural states, New Mexico suffers from a shortage of health care providers. This shortage can impact residents' health care treatment options and, even, shorten their life-expectancies. FORWARD NM seeks to close this gap by nurturing local students' interests in health careers. Studies have shown that rural students are more likely to enter the health care field, and more likely to return to their roots to practice their chosen profession.

FORWARD NM Director, Miriam Kellerman coordinates the program and said, GǣDream Makers work hard the entire school year to earn the recognition they are receiving today. We are very happy for all the students who just graduated Dream Makers, and we hope to see them at SMASHGǥ

The natural path for the Dream Makers is to attend the upcoming S.M.A.S.H Academy. Offered in June, the free week-long academy focuses on math and science studies at Western New Mexico University in Silver City. Students also tour local health care facilities, participate in lab experiments and earn CPR certification. The S.M.A.S.H. Academy is open to students in southwest New Mexico entering their Freshman year of High School.

WNMU School of Nursing Coordinator, Sasha Poole praised the graduating Dream Makers, GǣYou are caring compassionate people who will make positive change, and the real future of southern New Mexico.Gǥ

FORWARD NM is a program of Southwest Center for Health Innovation with the support of Gila Regional Medical Center and Hidalgo Medical Services.

For more information on FORWARD NM contact Kellerman at (575) 534-0101 ext. 2114 or email: mkellerman@swchi.org. For information on the upcoming S.M.A.S.H. Academy from June 6 to 10, 2016, visit http://outreach.wnmu.edu/smash2016.

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