A princess. An astronaut. A superhero. Kids have big dreams for their future career. Some even grow up to be exactly what they dreamed of, whether it’s a police officer or a veterinarian.

“I’ve always wanted to get into the medical field,” said Sabrina Ali, a senior at Higher Ground Academy, a K-12 charter school in St. Paul. “When I was four, I was diagnosed with nephritic syndrome, which is kidney disease. I saw how my nurses took great care of me and because of that I want a career in a hospital. I think I’ve decided to be a pediatric nephrologist, which is a kidney doctor for kids. I’ll be able to relate to the children I’m treating.”

How HealthPartners helps the students

While Sabrina has always known what she wants to be, it’s not always so clear for other young students. That’s why six of our HealthPartners colleagues joined the Higher Ground Academy career fair to share some information on their job. Higher Ground Academy is proud of their history of serving students from diverse communities. A majority of Higher Ground Academy families immigrated from Eastern Africa.

The school’s juniors and seniors, over 80 in total, got the opportunity Monday, November 28 to talk with a variety of professionals representing a different career paths.

Why we stay involved

“I think it’s a great opportunity for students to talk with real life professionals to get a sense of a career that they may be interested in,” said Asmeret Tesfahun, DDS, a dentist at the HealthPartners St. Paul Midway Clinic. “I think it’s also great to let students know that it’s possible to achieve your goals after high school and to help them stay driven and encouraged.”

This year was Dr. Tesfahun’s third year at the career fair. “I love going ever year!” Our colleagues, like Dr. Tesfahun, love staying involved because they know it helps graduating students plan for the future. In fact, all graduating students are required to have post-secondary plans in order to graduate.

Our other colleagues who joined Dr. Tesfahun included Fowsia Musse, RN, lead nurse at the HealthPartners Center for International Health, Steven Vollmer, pharmacist at HealthPartners, Lee Decker, RT, clinical specialist at Regions Hospital, Joseph DesRosier, MD, chief of residents at Regions Hospital and Abdi Nuno, MD, third year resident at Regions Hospital.