For high school students interested in the medical field, there will soon be a new place to learn those skills. Pima JTED and local leaders broke ground on a site on Thursday next to Innovation High School, which will be focused on sharpening the skills of those interested in medicine.
It's called the Mel and Enid Zuckerman Center for Health and Medical Careers and students will have more space to learn the skills they need for medical field.
"I just want to say how important it is to bring attention to JTED because the amount of people it helps," Shirley Martin, a junior in the program, said. "It really just sets you up and as soon as you graduate you have a job."
Martin said her goal is to become a doctor and join the military.
"I feel really empowered and i love the class and the teachers and I've learned so much," she said. "When I was a kid, when I was asked what I want to be, I've always said I wanted to be a doctor and that has not changed."
The students are learning phlebotomy, reading EKGs, patient care and other skills. Mariah Castillo is a senior in the program and plans to be a phlebotomist while she attends college.
"I'm very compassionate to other people," she said. "I want to help them and make them feel great."
The center will be built by the fall of 2024.
