Mississippi students find inspiration at UMMC’s Discovery Day
High school students from every corner of Mississippi got a first-hand look at what a health care career can offer during Discovery Day events this year.
It was an easy connection to make for Peyton Loftin, a senior at Mendenhall High School.
“I want do neonatal nursing after high school, since I was born three months early,” Loftin said. “Everything here is so interactive and helps us figure out what we can turn into a career.”
Discovery Day showcases the schools, programs, centers and departments on the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Jackson campus to high school students considering health care careers. Students in health care-centered curricula across Mississippi’s secondary schools are exposed to health care careers and educational programs.
Seven high schools were represented at the Oct. 15 event, with nearly 200 students interacting with Medical Center educators and others. It was the second of six events planned for the 2026-27 academic year, with four more planned through April.
Educators and others with UMMC departments and services engaged some of tomorrow’s health care professionals with learning tools that blended fascination and curiosity.
One such model was young HAL, who can blink, breathe, move his neck and facial features. He’s not a real person, but was the star of the day at the Department of Advanced Biomedical Education table.
“He’s a manikin that simulates a five-year-old pediatric patient,” said Jennifer Harrison, health professionals educator in the department. “A lot of students come up to him and check him out, as they’ve probably not seen one so advanced before.”
Students in health curricula at the high school level arrive there from any number of backgrounds, whether they’re from a family with a background in health care or have already dipped their toes in the industry and want to soak up as much information as possible.
“I’m really interested in radiology and in cancer research,” said Landry McMillan, a sophomore at Pelahatchie High School. “My mom is a neuroscientist and my dad does radiology.”
Emerson Foster, a senior at Gulfport High School, is already job-shadowing in molecular science at Memorial Hospital Gulfport, but loved what he saw under the lenses of microscopes at the Medical Laboratory Science program table.
“I’m liking the versatility I see here,” Foster said. “I see a lot of ways for people to get involved in all the different specialties.”
Nyla Flowers and Alexis Maye, both juniors at Hattiesburg High School, plan to take care of prerequisites in community college, then move on to advanced degrees in nursing.
“Everybody needs a nurse or doctor in their life,” Flowers said. “We are saving people’s lives and that’s what I’d love to do in my future.”
Health science students in attendance last week were from groups based at Grenada High School, Smith County Career Center, Thomas C. Randle CTC (in Belzoni), Pelahatchie High School, Simpson County Technical Center, Hattiesburg High School and Gulfport High School.
“Discovery Day is great to help guide these students toward the career they’re preparing for,” said Elizabeth Luker, a health science teacher with Pelahatchie High School’s Health Science Academy.
Over the past two years, schools have about a 41% return rate coming back for another Discovery Day event, according to the UMMC Student Recruitment Committee.
“We are increasing awareness across the state of our academic programs as well as our clinical and non-clinical areas,” said Tara Rushing, project manager in the School of Nursing and co-chair of the committee. “The reach across the state this academic year alone ranged from Gulfport to Ackerman.”
All six health science schools based on the Jackson campus were represented, as were the UMMC Cancer Registry, UMMC Audiology, UMMC Nursing Outreach and Engagement, UMMC Orthopaedics Division of Orthotics and Prosthetics Safe Kids Mississippi and the departments of Advanced Biomedical Education, Pathology, Radiology, Respiratory Therapy and Volunteer Services.
“Discovery Day would not be possible without the participation of our UMMC offices and departments from across campus,” Dr. Molly Ratcliff, assistant dean of student affairs and admissions at the School of Health Related Professions and co-chair of the committee. “We appreciate the support and time these groups continue to give to Discovery Day.”