Sheepshead Bay High School fast-tracks students into booming biomedical careers
At the United Charter High School for Advanced Math & Science III, classrooms are doubling as mini laboratories, places where 10th graders conduct real-world experiments long before the morning bell.
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A Sheepshead Bay high school is trading textbooks for test tubes as it launches a hands-on biomedical engineering program designed to put students on a fast track toward careers in science, technology, and healthcare.
At the United Charter High School for Advanced Math & Science III, classrooms are doubling as mini laboratories, places where 10th graders conduct real-world experiments long before the morning bell. Students extract DNA from strawberries, use professional diagnostic tools, and work through projects modeled after real biomedicine.
“Every time I come in, it really gives me that feeling of getting to be a real-life forensic scientist,” said student Nathan Saint-Cyr. “It’s just a new, diverse, fun way of learning.”
Classmate London Jones says the program has opened her eyes to the possibilities in the field: “We had to get DNA from strawberries and separate it from the solution we used. It was exciting because we got to use real lab tools.”
Principal and school founder Nissi Jonathan says the goal is to give students not just exposure, but opportunity. The school is rolling out internships at hospitals and trade-course pathways that could give students a major head start before graduation.
“We want to make sure they almost walk out with an LPN-type course, even before they walk out with a high school diploma,” Jonathan said.
Starting next quarter, students will take another step into the medical world, suiting up like doctors to practice patient intake and blood-pressure checks as they explore the wide range of future healthcare careers.
“There are hundreds of different types of doctors and scientists,” said biomedical science teacher Holly Mills. “This program gives them options for where they might want to go.”
In Sheepshead Bay, the school hopes its innovative approach will help rebuild Brooklyn’s pipeline of future healthcare workers, one lab experiment at a time.
