Getting into medical school is no small feat, but imagine doing it at just 13 years old. While most 13-year-olds are heading to high school, Alena Analeigh Wicker has made history by becoming the youngest Black person – and the youngest person ever – to get accepted into medical school.
Wicker grew up loving to build things and previously had dreams of building robots for NASA . However, after a trip to Jordan with The Brown STEM Girl foundation, she fell in love with biology and realized that wasn't the route she wanted to go.
“It actually took one class in engineering, for me to say this is kind of not where I wanted to go,” she told 12 News. ”I think viral immunology really came from my passion for volunteering and going out there engaging with the world.”
Her goal?
“What I want from healthcare is to really show these underrepresented communities that we can help, that we can find cures for these viruses,” she added.
She now has the opportunity to fulfill that dream. She received an early acceptance to the University of Alabama Birmingham’s Heersink School of Medicine under its Burroughs Wellcome Scholars Early Assurance Program. The program partners with Black schools in Alabama to offer students early acceptance as they plan to enter medical school.
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"Today I'm just grateful. I graduated High school LAST YEAR at 12 years old and here I am one year later I've been accepted into Med School at 13," Wicker wrote on Instagram last week. "Statistics would have said I never would have made it. A little black girl adopted from Fontana California. I've worked so hard to reach my goals and live my dreams."
Wicker, who is currently a junior at Arizona State, has always been ahead of her time. After graduating high school at the age of 12, she was able to complete more than half of her undergraduate requirements at Arizona State University (ASU) and Oakwood University in just one year.
The secret behind Wicker's success (aside from her brains) is her mother. She says her mother "allowed her the opportunity to experience the world" by giving her the space to grow and make mistakes without feeling bad.
"I pray God blesses me so big you never ever have to want for anything in this earthly life. You sacrificed so much for me (people have no idea what we have been through) and here I am while it seems so far away the end of this college chapter is going by so fast. MOMMY I MADE IT!!!!!💕💕💕," Wicker continued.
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Wicker is also proud of the fact that she will be able to inspire other young girls of color to achieve their dreams.
“I’m creating a platform for every little girl of color that has a passion for STEM AND EVERY GIRL that was ever told she couldn’t. I’m proof you can!,” Wicker shared.
She currently runs The Brown STEM Girl, a scholarship program aimed at inspiring young Black girls to pursue STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) careers.
"I really want to leave my mark on the world. And lead a group of girls that know what they can do,” Wicker says.
With this new scholarship, she'll be able to do just that! Wicker can officially become a doctor by 18 if everything goes as planned.
