Heather is from Papillion, NE and is studying biology and medical humanities. Her leadership experience includes being president of the National Honor Society, president of the Student Council, and vice president of her senior class. As National Honor Society president, she organized volunteer opportunities and group activities for the members. As Student Council president, she worked collaboratively with Bellevue West faculty and administration to put on school-wide events, including four homecomings, eight blood drives, two Mr. Bellevue West pageants, and multiple spirit weeks. Additionally, she also raised $1,000 for the Make-a-Wish Foundation and the Team Jack Foundation. Her duties as the senior class vice president included raising money for the American Heart Association, organizing and speaking at Honor’s Night and the Baccalaureate ceremony, and assisting the administration during the graduation ceremony. She was also a member of the UNMC High School Alliance Program for two years, serving on their Honor Council for one of those years. Through the Honor Council, her duty was to attend academic misconduct meetings to ensure integrity and honesty were being upheld in the program. Her research experience includes being selected to work in a research lab with Dr. Kishore Challagundla at the Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center studying pediatric oncology, specifically neuroblastoma. Her career interests include working in the medical field as a physician, specializing in pediatric oncology. She plans to be involved in both the clinical and research aspects of medicine.
