AHS senior Rylee Trout was recently accepted admission into the Rural Health Opportunities Program (RHOP). The RHOP program is designed to address the special needs of rural Nebraska by encouraging rural residents to pursue a career in the health care fields.

Hundreds of students across the state of Nebraska apply for the program and only six Nebraskans are admitted. Students who are selected must have academic potential, and special consideration is given to students from Nebraska counties of less than 25,000, or communities of less than 10,000.

Trout is the daughter of Mike and Daneen Trout, and a graduate of St. Agnes Academy in 2010. Trout will graduate from Alliance High in May 2014, and is an excelling student at AHS with a 4.0 GPA and number-one in her class rank. She also participates in three sports: volleyball, basketball, and track.

Trout applied for the RHOP program via typed application, and then was granted a personal interview with the RHOP coordinators from Chadron State and the University of Nebraska Medical Center. In the end, Trout was one of six applicants selected. The acceptance into the program automatically granted Trout admittance into the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) after finishing a Pre-Med degree at either Chadron State or Wayne State.

“It was really great to get accepted,” said Trout. “The waived tuition fee was a factor and it’s really nice that you automatically get accepted into UNMC.”

The program has a requirement that you must commit to working in rural Nebraska, which is what Trout plans to do in her future. “My goal is to get a registered nursing degree and work around here,” Trout said. “I want to make a difference by helping people in my community.”

Regardless of her acceptance, Trout had plans to pursue a nursing degree, although she admits, “I did want to pursue a career as a general surgeon, but it was a lot of schooling and money.”

“I decided to stick with nursing because interacting with people and patients is something I think I’m good at,” said Trout. “I love talking and dealing (with people), and that’s important in nursing.”

Trout’s interest in nursing was partially gained through her involvement in Alliance High’s Health Professions Club where she learned more about the field. She also found participation in Box Butte General Hospital’s cadet program where she cadets at the hospital 6 hours per week.

This fall, Trout will attend Chadron State College to pursue a Pre-Med degree with further plans of attending UNMC.