Students at Nooksack Valley High School should have real dreams about their future. The Nooksack FBLA is turning those into REEL Dreams, interviewing people behind professions and showing students that big dreams start early and there are meaningful ways to prepare for those dreams while still in high school. 
 
Recently, six NVHS students visited the University of Washington for the second REEL Dreams project field trip of the year (the first was at PAX West to explore video production and gaming), which is an “ongoing effort to help students explore real-world careers and discover the stories behind the people who do them,” says Owen Craig, FBLA advisor and the district’s technology director. 
 
The group of students included two seniors wanting to become doctors, one senior videographer who hopes to direct films, another senior interested in biomedical engineering, one junior planning to go into medicine and a freshman just starting to explore the medical field.
 
The day started at UW Medicine’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, where students were welcomed by Dr. Taylor Sawyer (Division Head and Chair of Neonatology), his executive assistant Katrina James and Dr. Cyril Engmann (Clinical Professor of Pediatrics and Global Health). They gave the students a behind-the-scenes look at the NICU and shared honest, inspiring stories about their journeys in medicine, what drew them to their work, what keeps them motivated and how compassion and leadership are important in healthcare.
 
After the hospital tour, the Nooksack Valley students walked around campus talking with UW students about their majors, why they chose the university and what advice they’d give to future applicants, all while learning about programs on campus they didn’t know existed. 
 
Videos and interviews from both trips will be posted on the NooksackFBLA YouTube and Instagram accounts.