Students focus on careers in healthcareJanuary 23, 2018

They were both born in California before moving to Midland with their parents and siblings, and both want to pursue careers in healthcare.  Diana Garcia and Grace du Preez are Midland College (MC) students enrolled in health and wellness pathway courses, but that is where the similarity ends. 

Nineteen-year-old Diana Garcia (pictured at left) is among the first cohort of students in MC’s Primary Care Pathway partnership with the University of North Texas and Midland Health.  She will graduate from MC in May and then take courses at the University of North Texas for a year before entering Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine. 

Sixteen-year-old Grace du Preez (pictured at right) is a junior at Midland High School taking Principles of Health Science and Medical Terminology as part of the MC and Midland Independent School District (MISD) health career academy at the MC Advanced Technology Center.   Soon, she will take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) and a medical physical exam so that she can join the U.S. Army as part of the military’s delayed start program. 

The delayed start program will enable du Preez to participate in Basic Training this summer and Advanced Individual Training (AIT) during summer 2019 before she enrolls in college and then nursing school.  Her ultimate goal is to become a registered nurse and join the Army Nurse Corps. 

Diana Garcia, on the other hand, wants to return to West Texas after completing medical school so that she can practice pediatric medicine.  As part of the Primary Care Pathways program, she has already shadowed various physicians in Midland and found that she enjoys the primary care and pediatric specialties most. 

A 2016 graduate of Lee High School, Garcia is the first person in her family to attend college. 

“I always knew that I wanted to go to college,” said Garcia.  “One of my teachers in high school, Mr. Edwards, told me about MC’s Primary Care Pathways program, and I remember thinking that it sounded interesting.  Then, when I met with Nereida Huffman, an advisor at Midland College, she told me more about the program and that I could get a medical degree in just seven years.  It’s nice that I can live at home and save some money while taking my basic courses and a lot of my science and math courses at Midland College.”

Grace du Preez also wants to attend Midland College when she graduates from high school in 2019.  Because she is participating in the dual credit health career academy, she will already have some college hours before she graduates from high school.  After graduating from MC, she plans to enter nursing school and pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing.  Her first choice for nursing school is Baylor School of Nursing in Dallas.

“Once I complete Basic Training this summer, I’ll join the National Guard,” explained du Preez.  “I’ll be a member of the National Guard throughout college.  If I go to Baylor, I’ll join the Army ROTC.  Then when I graduate from Baylor, I’ll be an officer in the Army Nurse Corps.  My father is in the Army as a member of the National Guard.  My uncle was also in the army.  I want to follow in their footsteps.”

Du Preez’s father Heinrich du Preez is a native of South Africa who immigrated to the U.S. before joining the army.   He is currently a safety manager in the oil and gas industry.  Her mother Amber is the volunteer coordinator at Midland Children’s Rehabilitation Center.  Du Preez has one sister who is 11 years old and twin brothers who are 8. 

“My brothers are the reason I want to become a nurse,” explained du Preez.  “One of my brothers has scoliosis and the other one has cerebral palsy.  They were born prematurely at just 25 weeks and were in and out of hospitals when they were babies.  I remember being in the hospitals with them, and the nurses were always so helpful—not only to my brothers, but to my entire family.  I want to be able to help people like the nurses helped us.”

Diana Garcia is also the oldest sibling in her family.  She has one brother and two sisters.  Her father Alejandro Garcia works in the construction industry, and her mother Ana Elba Garcia works at Walmart. 

“I may be the first in my family to attend college, but I’m not the last,” said Garcia.  “My brother Eric will graduate from high school in May, and he wants to be an engineer.  My 12-year-old sister Blanca wants to be a lawyer.  She recently won a $1,000 college scholarship as part of a fundraising project. “

Diana is obviously a role model to her younger siblings.   Her youngest sister Alexa just turned 5, and when asked what she wants to be when she grows up, she says she wants to be like Diana.

Both Grace du Preez and Diana Garcia have a career goal of helping those in need.  Grace du Preez wants to travel the world and serve her country, while Diana Garcia wants to focus her efforts on helping those closer to home.  While their healthcare careers will take them on different paths, these two young women are beginning their journey at Midland College.