Levert Bryant arrived at the Summer Health Institute for Nursing Exploration and Success (SHINES) in 2022 with more curiosity than certainty. Then a rising junior in high school, he knew he was interested in healthcare but didn't know where he fit.
"I was really just going in blind and hoping for the best," Bryant admitted.
During the two-week program, he met nurses, explored careers and began to see his future take shape. Four years later, he halfway through a Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at the University of Rhode Island. And he remains so fond of SHINES that he returned this summer as a volunteer.
A program with lasting reach
SHINES is a summer program at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis. Now in its fifth year, SHINES gives Sacramento-area students hands-on simulations, mentoring and exposure to nurses and other healthcare professionals as they explore potential careers.
"In my career, key opportunities helped shape my path," said program creator and associate dean Piri Ackerman. "We want SHINES scholars to have that same chance."
The program is showing impressive early results: 28 graduates about 20% of the first four cohorts — have become Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA), a key first step toward nursing. This June, 40 additional students completed SHINES, learning what nursing requires and how to see themselves in the role.
A roadmap to nursing
For Fernanda Pineda Bedolla, SHINES gave her a roadmap to nursing.
"As a first-generation student, I didn't have anyone to guide me," she said. "SHINES showed me this path is for everyone."
After SHINES, she graduated from Cristo Rey Sacramento High School, enrolled at Sacramento City College and completed the prerequisites for nursing school. She became a CNA to gain patient care experience, strengthen her applications and help pay for college.
"There's no single path or timeline," she said. "I don't know what I would have done without SHINES."
Leaders say many graduates share that experience, a sign the program is moving students from curiosity to credentials.
"Every SHINES scholar is a potential healthcare provider. We help them see what they can contribute and give them a strong start," Ackerman said. "It is essential that we show students how to overcome structural barriers to success."
Every SHINES scholar is a potential healthcare provider. We help them see what they can contribute and give them a strong start.-Piri Ackerman, SHINES creator
Finding confidence in new possibilities
For Hekela Robinson, a 2023 SHINES graduate who became a CNA, the program did more than point her toward nursing — it showed her the many paths in healthcare. During her experience, she learned that community college could be a smart first step.
"It gave me more courage and confidence, especially seeing people from different backgrounds," she said.
SHINES prioritizes workforce development and community investment, focusing on first-generation students from neighborhoods shaped by historic discriminatory housing policies. The goal is to close the racial wealth gap by connecting students to stable, well-compensated healthcare careers that build long-term financial security for themselves and their families.
Robinson recently started work as a personal care assistant. She is also exploring sonography, drawn to the allied health profession where she can care for patients without pursuing nursing school.
"I'm somebody who wants to make a difference and wants to be able to give people my genuine self," she said.
For mentors like Aron King, that connection is everything.
"As one of only a few men and the only Black male student in my nursing program, there were many times I doubted myself," said King, a recent graduate of the school's Doctor of Philosophy program. "Looking back, having a mentor who understood that journey would have been game-changing, and that is why I believe mentorship is critical for students who may feel like 'the only one.'"
Nationally, 76.6% of registered nurses are white, compared to 8.6% who are Black and 7.2% who are Hispanic. SHINES aims to introduce students from historically underrepresented communities to health are careers and strengthen the future workforce that serves medically underserved populations.
A path worth sharing
For Bryant, returning to SHINES showed him how far the program — and he — had come.
Once a quiet high school student unsure of his place in healthcare, he now sees himself as part of the next generation of nurses and understands the value of guiding students who feel the same uncertainty he once did.
"It gives them somebody they can talk to and relate to, somebody who understands that it's scary," he said. "SHINES really widened my eyes and widened the things that I am able to do."
Bryant's message is simple: the path may be difficult, but it is within reach. And through programs like SHINES, more students are stepping forward, moving from curiosity to careers in healthcare.
