GHS Students Learning on the Job
GHS senior Quaniya Willis was the first student to start work at the University of Mississippi Medical Center - Grenada (UMMC) as part of a promising new internship program, facilitated by Three Rivers Planning & Development District by way of funding from AccelerateMS, the state’s workforce development partner.
“Now we can say to our top students from the allied health program who are going into the medical field that they could possibly have a paid internship and get real-world experience in a hospital before graduating from high school,” said Tifany Reed, Career Coach at GHS. “These students are not just observing, they’re actually taking care of real patients.”
February 15, 2024 — a landmark date not only for Grenada School District but also for GHS senior Quaniya Willis. It was the start of a promising new internship program in which Grenada students may benefit from working at the University of Mississippi Medical Center - Grenada (UMMC). For Willis, it was her first day on the job in a new medical career.
Willis’ first day consisted of orientation activities to familiarize her with the hospital layout as well as the medical professionals with whom she’ll be working.
Willis completed the Health Science classes at Grenada Career and Technical Center and said her teachers, Shuffield and Wells, piqued her interest in pursuing a career in the medical field. “I knew nursing was what I wanted to do,” Willis said. “Now getting this experience, it’s like living out my dream.”
Willis may be the first, but she’s not the only GHS student to start a medical internship this year. Three other students have been lined up for positions at UMMC in radiology and patient care. There are also positions for high school students in technology and skilled labor, a total of six openings at the local hospital.
“Now we can say to our top students from the allied health program who are going into the medical field that they could possibly have a paid internship and get real-world experience in a hospital before graduating from high school,” said Tifany Reed, Career Coach at GHS. “These students are not just observing, they’re actually taking care of real patients. They go through the same protocol as a real employee, including acquiring licenses in BLS (basic life support), First Aid and CPR.”
Reed has also worked closely with local dentist offices, including Horan Family Dental and Ware Family Dental, to place students for internships. Next up are internships with local lawyers (Carlos Moore Law Group) and manufacturing companies (Grenada Stamping and Milwaukee Tool).
The arrangements and payments for these high school internships are offered through Three Rivers Planning & Development District by way of funding from AccelerateMS, the state’s workforce development partner. Reed, who works directly in GHS through Three Rivers, meets with students one-on-one to build career skills such as crafting a resume and developing interview skills. She helps students determine their career interests, and if the student’s school schedule lines up with the needs of the host business, they may be offered an internship position for up to $12 an hour.
“Businesses looking to come to Grenada look at our school system, which plays a big role in whether our town gets new industry,” Reed said. “When students hear that, it really gets their attention. There’s a buy-in from our students, and we want them to know that you can keep your gifts and talents here in our community.”
Reed said part of her mission is to help students realize they can earn a good living in Mississippi. “I tell them, your dollar goes a lot further in Mississippi than in bigger, more expensive places like Texas, California, and New York.”
No matter a student’s interest, Reed said she works with a growing network of local partners to pair them up with the job that’s right for them.
“We had an NJROTC student who was interested in aviation,” Reed said. “Through our partnership with the City of Grenada, the student was granted a position at the airport so he could be around the planes and experience the mechanical and service aspects of flying.”
Reed said GSD has been working for years to get students into UMMC, so the new hospital internship is a major boon for her program. “It’s good for Mississippi too because we’re currently experiencing a nursing shortage, so it’s a great opportunity to get students interested in the industry.”
As for Quaniya Willis, she said she plans to attend Southern Mississippi next fall to start her path toward being a registered neonatal nurse. “It’s not enough just to take Health Science,” Willis said. “You also have to have the grades and the motivation to do it.”
Reed believes the hands-on work at places like UMMC gives students a head start on their working life. “The experience will help them determine if this is indeed the right fit for them,” she said. “Even if, at the end of the internship, they say, ‘You know, I’ve changed my mind,’ that’s still a win for us because they’ve been exposed to that potential work environment, and now they have a better idea of what they do, or don’t want to do with their lives.”