Across the Class of 2026, more and more students are pursuing careers in STEM, with the medical field standing out as the most popular choice. From aspiring doctors to nurses many are drawn to professions that have the opportunity to make a real difference. As the world faces growing health challenges, this class has a deep sense of purpose to help create a healthier future for everyone.
When asking Senior Marissa Bonillo, about her view and inspiration on her career choice, she states, “Helping other people in the community and giving back is what drives me to follow my career choice”. Bonillo finds doctor professions like cardiology and certain types of surgery to be the peak of her interest. Bonillo is also familiarizing herself with being in a health care setting by doing an internship with Cope Health Scholars at Adventist Health Hospital. Bonillo realized that the medical field was a choice for her by understanding that she was born to be a leader. “Pursuing more into the medical field, I find human anatomy and just learning about the human body interesting,” she states.
Many science classes around campus give insight on these types of careers however, classes like AP Biology and Anatomy/Physiology are able to prepare and give students the basic knowledge for this type of career choice. Anatomy allows students to learn the basic human body and its bones and functions. Honors teacher, Esther Ibarra, has been teaching Anatomy/Physiology for about nine years. Students taking this class either want to be nurses or doctors. “I have noticed that many Seniors after this class have taken interest in wanting to be a specific type of nurses and doctors,” Ibarra states. Aside from the medical field being a popular choice, Ibarra thinks that engineering is a close second option of careers for the class of 2026.
Besides on campus classes, many of our Ridgeview students are enrolled in CTEC programs like intro to health careers and nursing assistant to further their knowledge in this type of field. Senior, Kaiya Stowe, has done both nursing assistant and intro to health careers. “This year I’m doing nursing assisting, so that will help me start my patient care so that I will understand what to do”, she states. Stowe has also had the opportunity to do job shadowing at Kern Medical Hospital for five weeks. She states, “We were basically assigned to different units, but I was assigned to the ICU which gave me the experience that I needed.” Stowe finds interest in mostly nursing and wants to pursue any medical challenges so that she can be a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist.
The Class of 2026 is stepping up with a strong interest in the medical field, driven by a passion to be able to help others. Students like Bonillo and Stowe are already gaining hands-on experience and shaping their futures through school programs and real hospital training. With a strong background in science classes and a clear sense of purpose, they are ready to make a meaningful difference in healthcare and more.
