Upward Bound Student Spotlight: Lorena Cortes Vasquez

Burnsville High School junior selected for Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science Career Immersion Program

Lorena Cortes Vasquez, 16, is a junior at Burnsville High School in Burnsville, Minnesota. Lorena is also a TRIO/Upward Bound student at Dakota County Technical College. Scheduled to graduate from BHS in 2027, she maintains a 4.0 GPA and is looking forward to earning an Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree while still in high school.

“I would then like to finish a bachelor’s degree and possibly apply for med school,” Lorena said. “I would like to do something within the medical field and enroll in a medical program the summer after my senior year of high school.”

Lorena Cortes Vasquez

Along with Upward Bound, Lorena participates in HOSA, EMS Club, track and field, Minnesota DECA, Flow, Latinos Unidos, and Art Club at BHS. Her track and field events include the 100- and 200-meter sprints, the 4 x 100 relay, and long jump. She has tried pole vault, but has’t yet competed in that event.

Lorena took part in the DCTC Upward Bound and Science Museum of Minnesota GEOPaths Partnership, which started in January of this year and featured a range of activities, including career research and summer field trips. A U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) program, Pathways into the Earth, Ocean, Polar and Atmospheric & Geospace Sciences, or GEOPAths, “Supports education, training and professional development of teachers, graduate, undergraduate and high school students in the geosciences through STEM learning ecosystems.”¹

“The purpose of the NSF grant was to increase diversity in STEM fields and educate more students about the geosciences,” said Caitlin Siefkes, DCTC Upward Bound director. “Ten Upward Bound students from Burnsville High School took part. Earlier this year, they worked with a cohort of students at the Kitty Anderson Youth Science Center to do paleolimnology research with the St. Croix Regional Watershed Salty Lakes Project.”

Lorena greatly enjoyed her experience in GEOPaths. “My favorite part of the GEOPAths Partnership was going to Lake McCarrons in Roseville in January and taking core samples from the frozen lake, something I had never done before.”

Lorena’s GEOPaths Partnership gallery

Career exploration at the Science Museum of Minnesota

Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science Career Immersion Program (Minnesota)

In early spring of this year, Lorena was accepted by the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science Career Immersion Program (Minnesota). Mark McCreary, a DCTC Upward Bound advisor, reported that Lorena traveled to the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science in Rochester, Minnesota, in late June to complete the weeklong program.

“The admission standard for this program is competitive and requires a powerful application demonstrating strong academic ability, high personal qualities, and a genuine desire to explore healthcare careers,” Mark said. “Lorena’s accomplishment will inspire other students at her high school while showing how the Upward Bound partnership with BHS creates an environment focused on student success.”

Mark added that Lorena’s immersion experience included in-demand healthcare career discovery, connecting with health sciences professionals, understanding the health sciences education enrollment process as well as the role of professionalism in the healthcare environment, hands-on instruction in college classrooms and labs, student-to-student networking, housing and meals, and transportation to the Mayo Clinic.

Lorena’s Career Immersion Program Q & A

DCTC News: What motivated you to apply for the program?
Lorena: I wanted to learn more about the different careers within the medical field and wanting to gain experience within medicine motivated me to apply to the Career Immersion Program. I hoped with this amazing opportunity I could learn more about medicine and find the career that really speaks to me.

DCTC News: What did you gain from your immersion experience?
Lorena: I got the chance to work with medical professionals, learning about the various careers in medicine and establishing lasting connections.

DCTC News: What did you enjoy most about the experience?
Lorena: Getting to learn about the different allied careers within the medical field and how big a role they play in patient care. Also, meeting new people as well as networking with the different medical professionals.

DCTC News: What was the most interesting part of the experience?
Lorena: Learning about different careers that I have never heard about before and getting a lot of hands-on learning that is involved in each career is what I think was the most interesting part of the experience.

Lorena’s Career Immersion Program gallery

More about Lorena…

In 2023, Lorena volunteered as a librarian assistant at Eagle Ridge Middle School in Burnsville. The following year, she took part in the Minnesota Business Venture at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. Her volunteer work also includes high school grounds cleanup and fundraising for multiple activities and events.

Lorena’s family includes her mom, Adela, and her dad, Antonio, who are both cooks. She has four sisters, Angela, 21, Jesica, 14, Sarai, 6, and Vanessa, 4.

In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, playing instruments, running, sewing, and art—the latter includes painting, drawing, and sketching.

“I play the violin, guitar, flute, and I know a little bit of cello,” she said. “I try to run when there is nice weather without a destination in mind. I don’t run a lot, but I’m trying to get more into running.”

Originally from Bloomington, Minnesota, Lorena resides with her family in Burnsville.

Lorena Cortes Vasquez • Q & A

Lorena Cortes Vasquez

What have you enjoyed most about your time in TRIO/Upward Bound?

I have really enjoyed meeting new people and getting to visit multiple colleges. I have also enjoyed learning about different things I could do to prepare for college and being able to talk to my advisors and get guidance about questions I have.

How has Upward Bound helped you plan for your future after high school?

Upward Bound has helped me research and visit various colleges while exploring scholarship opportunities and careers. The experience has helped me better prepare for the big change from high school to college and know what to expect.

What advice would you give students who are thinking about participating in Upward Bound?

Upward Bound helps in so many ways. You should really take advantage of all that Upward Bound has to offer and take opportunities that might be outside of your comfort zone because you don’t know how much they might help you.

Three words that describe you as an Upward Bound student:
PATIENT. THOUGHTFUL. SMART.

What inspired you to follow a career path centered on healthcare?

Since I was young, I have always thought about how much I liked how medical professionals were able to help others and save lives. I was always interested and inspired by their hard work. As I got older, I tried researching medicine and healthcare more and tried gaining more hands-on learning and experience and ended up getting more interested in this career path.

I also tried other career explorations because I wanted to also see if there were other careers that I might be more interested in, but I keep coming back to healthcare and medicine.

What person has influenced your life the most and why?

My parents have influenced my life the most because of all their hard work and sacrifices for my family. Their hard work and determination has helped me shape and grow into the person I am today.

If you could make one thing happen on Earth right now, what would it be?

If I could make one thing happen on Earth right now, I would help reverse the impacts of climate change.

One word that best describes your experience in TRIO/Upward Bound:

MEMORABLE

Lorena Cortes Vasquez • 12 Answers

Favorite sport or physical activity: Track and field
Place you would most like to visit: The Maldives
Most exciting thing you’ve ever done: Traveled to a different country
Three things you would do if you won a $1 billion lottery: 1) Save some money for college 2) Invest and give money to my family 3) Donate
Best book or movie you’ve read or seen lately: Howl’s Moving Castle
Time period you would explore if you could time travel: The Renaissance
One thing you most want to accomplish in life: Leave behind a good, lasting legacy
Your national bird if you were your own country: Pigeon
Dream occupation: Medicine
Person you would most like to meet: There’s no one I can really think of
Skill you would most like to learn and master: Being able to speak many language or having very good memorization skills
Most important issue or problem facing humankind: Inequality

Learn more about TRIO/Upward Bound at DCTC by contacting:

Caitlin Siefkes
Director of TRIO/Upward Bound
Dakota County Technical College
caitlin.siefkes@dctc.edu
651-423-8463

¹ SOURCE: U.S. National Science Foundation: Pathways into the Earth, Ocean, Polar and Atmospheric & Geospace Sciences (GEOPAths)

More about TRIO/Upward Bound…

Federal TRIO educational opportunity outreach programs support and help motivate low-income, first-generation college students as well as students with disabilities to navigate academic environments from middle school to postgraduate programs. The goal of Federal TRIO programs is to increase the percentage of low-income and first-generation college students who successfully pursue postsecondary education opportunities.

Upward Bound provides academic and personal support and guidance to help qualifying high school students get to college. First generation college students, participants have college potential, but lack awareness of the many academic and career options possible after high school. The DCTC Upward Bound program closes that gap.

Part of the family of Federal TRIO programs, Upward Bound is funded by the U.S. Department of Education. TRIO programs ensure equal educational opportunities for all students by providing skills and information needed to overcome class, social and cultural barriers to higher education.