Rajhae (L) and Mya (R) share remarks about their Eureka! experience.

Rajhae

I have been a Girls Inc. member since I was six years old. There was really no other place I’d rather be. Girls Inc. always had fun opportunities for me as I got older. The best part of my Girls Inc. experience was Eureka!

Eureka! taught me many important life lessons, like how to budget my money and more about robotics. I learned how to make my own game system with playdough. Perhaps most importantly Eureka! taught me time management and how to be professional in a job setting.

Ms. Hannah and the Eureka! staff took the time out of their day to find us externship placements. They weren’t just any job; the externships were jobs that were similar to what we wanted to do after college. My first year of externships I worked at Charles Drew Health Clinic. I had so much fun being able to take vitals and cleaning rooms after the patients were discharged. I also watched [a woman] get a Pap smear! I know from my education at Girls Inc. how important those annual exams are.

My second year I worked at Encor, a program for individuals with disabilities. I was able to work at the Encore center and at a location where the adults were living independently… The most fun part of the job was interacting with all of the clients.

…This experience…made me want to pursue my CNA license. My plan is to start at Metropolitan Community College, and then switch to UNMC to become a Registered Nurse. Eureka! is a great program for young girls to start their journey in to life. Eureka! can help lead you in the right direction and help you make the right choices. I want to say thank you to my fellow Eurekans, and congratulations! I couldn’t have chosen a better group of young ladies to share this experience with.

Mya

I am senior at Central High school.

I started the Eureka! program as an 8^th grader.  I remember riding to the campus of UNO with my mom feeling a bit of resentment because it was summer and I was supposed to still be at home in the bed asleep.  It was summer at 8am…this was summer school.

Just like school, I learned a lot but Eureka! was different because I enjoyed the learning experiences.  It helped me to discover my love for science by doing rigorous experiments. My favorite was the High-Altitude Balloon Launch when I sent a goldfish into space to study the impact of changes in temperature when leaving the earth’s atmosphere.

Throughout high school my passion for science grew along with my desire to help others within the field of medicine.  As a third-year Eureka! student, I was able to complete an externship at Charles Drew Medical Center. I was able to interact with patients, nurses, and other medical staff.  It was there I received hands on training and solidified my desire to become a nurse.

This fall, I will attend Alcorn State University in Mississippi where I plan to graduate in four years with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. I hope to eventually work in the Labor and Delivery department of a research hospital so I can pass my knowledge on to other students with the same passion. Currently, I am in the process of becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and I volunteer weekly at Life Care Center of Omaha.  With my CNA, I will work-part time during college to get experience and create a network of healthcare mentors.

As I embark on my new journey to college and nursing, I know that no matter what I face, the lessons I learned as a member of the Eureka! family have provided me the drive, focus, and motivation to help bring new life into world, and will allow me to overcome any obstacles I face.  For me, success is not an option, it is a way of life.