BLACK TEENAGE GIRL MAKES HISTORY AS THE YOUNGEST BLACK PERSON TO GET ACCEPTED INTO MEDICAL SCHOOL
Alena Analeigh Wicker, a 13-year-old Black girl, makes history as she gets into medical school and becomes the first Youngest Black Person to accomplish this inspiring goal.
“Statistics would have said I never would have made it. A little black girl adopted from Fontana California,” according to her Instagram post announcing her acceptance into medical school. “I’ve worked so hard to reach my goals and live my dreams. Mama I made it. I couldn’t have done it without you. You gave me every opportunity possible to be successful. You cheered me on, wiped my tears, gave me oreos when I needed comfort, you never allowed me to settle, disciplined me when I needed. You are the best mother a kid could ever ask for. MAMA I MADE IT!”
Wicker was only 12 years old when she graduated from high school. Now, she is all set to attend the University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine. After already almost halfway done with her undergrad at Arizona State University and Oakwood University in just one year, she expects to reach her goal of becoming a doctor at 18.
“I really want to leave my mark on the world. And lead a group of girls that know what they can do,” she said.
Wicker shared her journey and mentioned that she did not study in a traditional educational setting for some time as her mother pulled her out of the school after the principal’s racist comments.
“I started in a regular school, but my mother pulled me out when I was seven, because my principal told me that I couldn’t get all A’s because of my skin color,” Alena said. “It hurt, but it also made me determined. It convinced me that I could—and would—prove them wrong by getting all As.”
Wicker dreamt of joining NASA and was accepted into ASU’s engineering program. She also interned at her dream organization in the summer of 2021.
“I had an internship with NASA and actually got to go to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which has extremely large replicas of the actual rovers that went to Mars,” she said. “I was so excited.”
She later discovered that engineering is not where her interest lay and found her new fervent passion – viral immunology and aspires to become a doctor.
“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.”
“What I want from healthcare, is to really show these underrepresented communities that we can help that we can find cures for these viruses.”
