Natalie Barker was a little shocked when she first learned that Kentucky ranks first in the country for cancer incidence and mortality. However, the Elliott County teen says she had a quick realization – the problem of cancer hits very close to home. “The more I thought about it, the more I realized I don’t know a person in our community who hasn’t been affected by cancer,” she said.

Barker is one of 20 students from Appalachian Kentucky to be selected for the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center’s Appalachian Career Training in Oncology (ACTION) program for high schoolers, a two-year program that just launched in March. While ACTION has existed for UK undergrads for three years, this was the first year that the program offered Kentucky high school students the opportunity to gain cancer research, clinical, outreach and educational experiences in an effort to enrich their interest in a cancer-focused career.