BCHS Focus Program helps Kimberly prepare for heartwarming medical career

February 17, 2026

Northwest High School senior Kimberly is preparing to make her mark in the medical world with her Bryan College of Health Sciences Focus Program knowledge.
 
Kimberly is planning to turn her health care expertise into a heartwarming career as a diagnostic sonographer. She has spent the past two years studying everything from microscopic particles to medical ethics in her focus program classes. She said her Bryan College of Health Sciences (BCHS) Focus Program experiences have helped her identify exactly how she wants to assist people.
 
“I’m really thankful,” Kimberly said. “My parents have always pushed me and encouraged me to take advantage of any opportunity with my education, and this is such a big opportunity. The jump ahead that we get with the focus program is really nice. I’m just so grateful because it’s a welcoming environment and it will benefit me in my career.”

Bryan College of Health Sciences Focus Program senior Kimberly peers into a microscope in a classroom. She is facing right to left and has her left hand up against the microscope. She is wearing a t-shirt that says Medical Sciences Focus Program.

Bryan College of Health Sciences Focus Program senior Kimberly smiles from a desk in a classroom. There is a 3D model of a kidney in front of her and a microscope in the background.
 
Katherine Karcher and Cindy Larson-Miller have both had front-row seats to Kimberly’s work ethic and initiative. Karcher, the director of high school outreach programs at BCHS, and Larson-Miller, the science department chair at Northwest High School, said she “showed a tremendous tenacity to do well” in a challenging college-level anatomy course this past fall. Students identified locations of major organs, learned how blood flows through the body and peered into the inner workings of cell biology.
 
“She had a goal that she wanted to meet, and so far, she has exceeded that goal,” Karcher said. “She is traditionally a rather quiet student, but she did a great job of asking questions when she needed help with something.”
 
“Kimberly is an extremely dedicated student who is willing to work very hard to accomplish her goals,” Larson-Miller said. “Over the last three years, I have watched Kimberly grow as a learner and as an advocate for her own learning. As a senior, she knows where her misunderstandings and gaps in knowledge are, and she will ask for help to change them.”

Kimberly said the anatomy course is a prime example of how the BCHS partnership is benefiting students. The focus program provides juniors and seniors with a pathway to many medical careers. They can earn up to 13 early college credits at significantly discounted tuition rates by taking classes at Northwest.
 
Bryan Medical Center professionals assist with many of the focus program courses, and students have access to advanced technology including a world-class Anatomage table. They can also gain free certifications in Basic Life Support (BLS), take phlebotomy training, attend a health care career camp and learn additional medical skills from guest speakers.
 
“My favorite part is that it’s so hands-on,” Kimberly said. “You learn how to treat patients. That’s what I like the most.”

Bryan College of Health Sciences Focus Program senior Kimberly writes notes on a page in her classroom binder. She is using her right hand to add information to a page that shows images of cellular structures.

Bryan College of Health Sciences Focus Program senior Kimberly places a bedsheet over a mannequin as part of a training exercise in her class. The word Integrity is painted on the wall above the bed.
 
Kimberly first became interested in the diagnostic sonography field when she watched a skilled technician help one of her family members. Diagnostic sonographers use specialized equipment to create real-time ultrasounds of the body. The two- and three-dimensional images allow doctors and nurses to identify conditions such as blood clots, liver abnormalities and heart valve problems.
 
“It was so cool to see the technology they use and how they were able to scan the body,” Kimberly said. “I always thought about it in the back of my mind that this would be something fun to do. I thought it would be a really good way to help people.”
 
Kimberly’s excitement level grew when she learned that Lincoln Public Schools had joined forces with BCHS for the focus program. She and several of her friends chose to apply because they were interested in getting a head start on their college plans. She will continue her studies on the main BCHS campus in Lincoln after her high school graduation.
 
“I’m already getting college credit, so it’s been a big help,” Kimberly said. “When I get to Bryan, it will have a huge impact on my first year there.”

Bryan College of Health Sciences Focus Program senior Kimberly smiles in front of a classroom wall at Northwest High School. There are images of paw tracks on the wall.
 
The in-depth nature of the classes has also been a source of satisfaction for Kimberly. For example, in one of Larson-Miller’s courses this semester, she and her classmates examined elements of the endocrine system under microscopes. They then looked at 3-D models that reinforced information contained in their textbooks. Larson-Miller guided students as they answered questions about the pancreas, thyroid, adrenal gland, hypothalamus and pituitary gland.
 
“It’s an amazing program,” Kimberly said. “It’s a unique opportunity that we have here.”
 
Larson-Miller said she enjoys teaching focus program classes because of students like Kimberly. She felt Kimberly would create a heartwarming medical career with her perseverance, knowledge and intellect.
 
“I have no doubt that she will work as hard as she is now,” Larson-Miller said. “She will accomplish many other goals in the future.”
 
Interested in choosing your life passion at Bryan College of Health Sciences Focus Program? Explore the Bryan College of Health Sciences Focus Program at Northwest High School.
 
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Bryan College of Health Sciences Focus Program senior Kimberly looks through a microscope in one of her classes. She is facing left to right and is holding the base of the microscope with both hands.

Published: February 17, 2026, Updated: February 27, 2026

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Bryan College of Health Sciences Focus Program senior Kimberly peers into a microscope in her classroom. The Northwest High School student is using the focus program’s in-depth courses to map out a bright future. She is planning to become a diagnostic sonographer.