From Rural Classrooms to Healthcare Careers

For many students in Siskiyou County, college can often feel more like an aspiration than a plan.

As one of California’s northern-most counties anchored by Mount Shasta, the rural town is filled with many first-generation students, and limited opportunities for youth to explore careers firsthand or see what the journey from high school to college might actually look like.

This challenge is not unique to Siskiyou County, either. Across far Northern California, many communities face persistent shortages of healthcare professionals and educators, prompting regional leaders to invest in stronger pathways from education to careers.

That is why UC Davis’ leadership in the North State K-16 Education Collaborative has been so important and impactful. With funding from a California K-16 Collaborative grant, the university has been working since 2021 to bring together schools, colleges, universities and industry partners to expand college and career opportunities for students throughout the region.

One of those efforts is Fostering the Future, a program of the UC Davis Department of Surgery that introduces high school students to healthcare careers while helping them build the skills and confidence needed to pursue higher education.

Through Fostering the Future students from Siskiyou County such as LaMeika Nicholson, Natalie Thao and Kailyn Alford, have gained more than exposure to potential professions. They gained direction, confidence and a clearer vision for their futures.

The hands-on activities helped me figure out what I liked, and what I don’t like, and what I might want to do in the future. —Kailyn Alford

Students explore career options

For all three students, the journey began with Upward Bound, a federally funded College Opportunity Program housed within the UC Davis School of Education that serves first-generation and low-income students from eight different counties, including Siskiyou County.

As part of their Upward Bound experience, Nicholson, Thao and Alford attended Fostering the Future in 2025. Hosted annually by UC Davis Health, the two-day program introduces students to healthcare careers through hands-on activities, professional development workshops and conversations with healthcare professionals. Students explore career options, learn interview and networking skills, hear from medical professionals and gain exposure to research and patient care.

For many participants, it is their first opportunity to see the breadth of careers available within healthcare. Because of the experience, Thao is now considering a career in respiratory therapy.

“I thought being a doctor was pretty much it,” Thao said. “Then I realized there are so many different areas you can go into and so many different roles that are part of patient care.”

Students participated in activities such as suturing exercises, heart dissections and simulations designed to expose them to different specialties.

Alford said the hands-on learning was one of the most memorable aspects of the experience.

“Personally, I really enjoyed the hands-on activities,” she said. “The hands-on activities helped me figure out what I liked, and what I don’t like, and what I might want to do in the future.”

For Nicholson, the experience revealed careers she had never previously considered.

“It showed me all the different branches of healthcare,” she said. “You hear about doctors and nurses, but there are so many other professions. I became interested in forensic science after one of the presentations and learning about emergency medical services and trauma care."

The program also gave students an opportunity to interact directly with healthcare professionals who shared their own educational journeys.

Several speakers discussed being first-generation college students themselves and described the challenges they overcame to build successful careers.

“That was really inspiring,” Nicholson said. “A lot of the students who were teaching the class were the first in their families to go to college, so it was cool to hear about their experiences and how they got into medical school. It made me feel like I could do it too.”

Alford agreed.

“They talked about the struggles they went through and how they balanced school, work and life,” she said. “And that it’s doable.”

 

"A lot of the students who were teaching the class were the first in their families to go to college, so it was cool to hear about their experiences and how they got into medical school. It made me feel like I could do it too" —LeMeika Nicholson 

Creating pathways for the future

Those moments of connection are particularly important in rural communities, where students may have fewer opportunities to encounter healthcare professionals or explore career options firsthand.

The North State K-16 Education Collaborative was created to help address those barriers by connecting K-12 schools, colleges, universities and employers across the region. Among its goals are increasing college readiness, supporting postsecondary completion and building occupational pathways in healthcare and education, fields that are critical to the long-term vitality of rural communities.

Programs like Upward Bound and Fostering the Future align closely with those priorities by providing students with high-touch advising, college preparation resources and opportunities to explore career pathways before they enter the workforce.

For Thao, Nicholson and Alford, the impact is already visible.

Thao is considering careers that would allow her to work directly with patients across different stages of life. Nicholson plans to attend College of the Siskiyous before transferring to a four-year institution with the hope of becoming a forensic scientist. Alford, still early in her high school journey, is exploring possibilities ranging from being a police officer to a labor and delivery nurse while building the skills needed for college success.

Their career destinations may differ, but all three now see more possibilities than they did before.

“It was eye-opening,” Thao said. “Seeing all these different people and hearing their stories showed me that there are so many paths you can take. It made me excited about creating my own.”

These experiences reflect a broader effort UC Davis has been leading across the North State, Redwood Coast and Sacramento to increase college and career readiness, strengthen pathways into healthcare and education, and help develop the skilled workforce rural communities need for the future.

Seeing all these different people and hearing their stories showed me that there are so many paths you can take. It made me excited about creating my own. —Natalie Thao