High Schooler to Health Worker
How My X3 Internship Got Me on the Pre-Med Track
Melani Alonso has been a caretaker since she was three years old.
“When I was little I told my mother I would grow up to be a doctor so I could heal her,” she says.
Melani’s mother has kidney failure and has been on dialysis for nearly all of Melani’s life. They were almost to the front of the line for a kidney transplant, before COVID-19 hit. Now, they’ll have to begin the process again. “Her bones are getting weaker, all we can do is try again next year.”
Melani recently graduated from Health Leadership High School, where she earned her high school diploma, as well as two certifications as a nurse assistant and home health aid.
She is now in her third session as an X3 intern, working at the UNM Women’s Health Clinic. Her mentor, Nurse Practitioner Latifha Clough-Bryant, is a huge inspiration, Melani says. Melani admires how many responsibilities Latifha juggles, and how many people she takes care of—characteristics she relates to deeply, as a caretaker herself.
“Latifha and I have similar characters, a bit shy, but assertive. We stick up for ourselves when we need to,” Melani says. “She’s a mom who is also going to school, also working full-time, I really admire that. It must be so hard.”
Hearing this makes Latifha smile. Especially because, Latifha says, she feels the same way about Melani.
“Melani maintains a very busy schedule with work, her internship, school, and caring for her mother. She’s committed to her responsibilities and strives to continuously learn. When she’s pushed to complete difficult tasks on her own, she really shines.”
Since the school and office closures of COVID-19, Melani’s work has moved online. She is now coached by Latifha over video chat, and is responsible for scheduling providers and front desk personnel. Working at home is a challenge; when Melani’s mother is gone in the mornings to dialysis, she works alone on her internship assignments. “It’s a lot quieter now. When I was in the office, the staff was always making jokes, making me feel involved in their conversations. Sometimes I miss the people, feeling connected, doing customer service and patient intake, gaining that experience.”
But even remotely, Melani says she feels supported. “The staff is always there for me, always giving me feedback on how I can do better, always there to answer my questions.”
Now that she’s in her third semester as a pre-med student at CNM, and fully embedded in the healthcare industry through her X3 internship, she’s more convinced than ever that this is the right career path. In her time at UNMH she’s been able to explore other fields and observe ultrasounds and scenography, which piqued her curiosity.
She hasn’t lost sight of that childhood promise to become a doctor. Whatever medical path she chooses, her internship has taught her one thing for sure: “I love helping people. I know maybe I can’t heal my mother, but I can heal others and help their families. My mom is my motivation.”
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Learn more about the X3 program here. Contact Future Focused to to design a hybrid internship placement.
Melani Alonso has been a caretaker since she was three years old.
“When I was little I told my mother I would grow up to be a doctor so I could heal her,” she says.
Melani’s mother has kidney failure and has been on dialysis for nearly all of Melani’s life. They were almost to the front of the line for a kidney transplant, before COVID-19 hit. Now, they’ll have to begin the process again. “Her bones are getting weaker, all we can do is try again next year.”
Melani recently graduated from Health Leadership High School, where she earned her high school diploma, as well as two certifications as a nurse assistant and home health aid. She is now in her third session as an X3 intern, working at the UNM Women’s Health Clinic. Her mentor, Nurse Practitioner Latifha Clough-Bryant, is a huge inspiration, Melani says. Melani admires how many responsibilities Latifha juggles, and how many people she takes care of—characteristics she relates to deeply, as a caretaker herself.
“Latifha and I have similar characters, a bit shy, but assertive. We stick up for ourselves when we need to,” Melani says. “She’s a mom and also going to school, also working full-time, I really admire that. It must be so hard.”
Hearing this makes Latifha smile. Especially because, Latifha says, she feels the same way about Melani. “Melani maintains a very busy schedule with work, her internship, school, and caring for her mother. She’s committed to her responsibilities and strives to continuously learn. When she’s pushed to complete difficult tasks on her own, she really shines.”
Since the school and office closures of COVID-19, Melani’s work has moved online. She is now coached by Latifha over video chat, and is responsible for scheduling providers and front desk personnel. Working at home is a challenge; when Melani’s mother is gone in the mornings to dialysis, she works alone on her internship assignments. “It’s a lot quieter now. When I was in the office, the staff was always making jokes, making me feel involved in their conversations. Sometimes I miss the people, feeling connected, doing customer service and patient intake, gaining that experience.” But even remotely, Melani says she feels supported. “The staff is always there for me, always giving me feedback on how I can do better, always there to answer my questions.”
Now that she’s in her third semester as a pre-med student at CNM, and fully embedded in the healthcare industry through her X3 internship, she’s more convinced than ever that this is the right career path. In her time at UNMH she’s been able to explore other fields and observe ultrasounds and scenography, which piqued her curiosity. She hasn’t lost sight of that childhood promise to her mother to become a doctor. Whatever medical path she chooses, her internship has taught her one thing for sure: “I love helping people. I know maybe I can’t heal my mother, but I can heal others and help their families; she’s my motivation.”
Melani Alonso has been a caretaker since she was three years old.
“When I was little I told my mother I would grow up to be a doctor so I could heal her,” she says.
Melani’s mother has kidney failure and has been on dialysis for nearly all of Melani’s life. They were almost to the front of the line for a kidney transplant, before COVID-19 hit. Now, they’ll have to begin the process again. “Her bones are getting weaker, all we can do is try again next year.”
Melani recently graduated from Health Leadership High School, where she earned her high school diploma, as well as two certifications as a nurse assistant and home health aid. She is now in her third session as an X3 intern, working at the UNM Women’s Health Clinic. Her mentor, Nurse Practitioner Latifha Clough-Bryant, is a huge inspiration, Melani says. Melani admires how many responsibilities Latifha juggles, and how many people she takes care of—characteristics she relates to deeply, as a caretaker herself.
“Latifha and I have similar characters, a bit shy, but assertive. We stick up for ourselves when we need to,” Melani says. “She’s a mom and also going to school, also working full-time, I really admire that. It must be so hard.”
Hearing this makes Latifha smile. Especially because, Latifha says, she feels the same way about Melani. “Melani maintains a very busy schedule with work, her internship, school, and caring for her mother. She’s committed to her responsibilities and strives to continuously learn. When she’s pushed to complete difficult tasks on her own, she really shines.”
Since the school and office closures of COVID-19, Melani’s work has moved online. She is now coached by Latifha over video chat, and is responsible for scheduling providers and front desk personnel. Working at home is a challenge; when Melani’s mother is gone in the mornings to dialysis, she works alone on her internship assignments. “It’s a lot quieter now. When I was in the office, the staff was always making jokes, making me feel involved in their conversations. Sometimes I miss the people, feeling connected, doing customer service and patient intake, gaining that experience.” But even remotely, Melani says she feels supported. “The staff is always there for me, always giving me feedback on how I can do better, always there to answer my questions.”
Now that she’s in her third semester as a pre-med student at CNM, and fully embedded in the healthcare industry through her X3 internship, she’s more convinced than ever that this is the right career path. In her time at UNMH she’s been able to explore other fields and observe ultrasounds and scenography, which piqued her curiosity. She hasn’t lost sight of that childhood promise to her mother to become a doctor. Whatever medical path she chooses, her internship has taught her one thing for sure: “I love helping people. I know maybe I can’t heal my mother, but I can heal others and help their families; she’s my motivation.”