Wonder
Adopted Girl, 13, Becomes The Youngest Black Student To Enter Into Medical School
She’s also the youngest intern in NASA!
Her peers would’ve been busy interacting on Instagram or reading news on their favorite celebrities on the phone. They’re preparing for a new school year as junior high students. But not Alena Analeigh Wicker, who’s preparing her studies for meds!
That’s right! Thirteen-year-old Alena Analeigh Wicker, who’s attending the University of Alabama’s Heersick School of Medicine, is living proof of the black magic girl.
Alena graduated high school at the age of 12 and was soon a junior in college with a clear goal in her mind to one day become part of the healthcare members. Alena was accepted as part of the Early Assurance Program, a program by the university with HBCU schools in Alabama. She’s set to start attending classes in 2024.
The achieving black girl shared the exciting news on Instagram, proudly announcing it to her parents. She wrote, “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. I’m a junior in college.”
“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. 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! You always believed in me.”
“You allowed me space to grow and become, make mistakes without making me feel bad. You allowed me the opportunity to experience the world.”
Alena is still a 13-year-old at heart, however, as she spoke with The Washington Post. She’s finishing her two undergraduate programs in biological sciences at both Arizona State University and Oakwood University. She goes to the movies and plays with her friends when she’s not studying.
She said, “I just have extremely good time management skills, and I’m very disciplined.”
But this isn’t her only achievement. She was interviewed by The Baltimore Times when she became the youngest NASA intern in 2021. And it started from a dream just less than ten years ago, as she shared, “I was around three or four years old when I became fascinated with the stars and space and LEGOs.”
She’s started the Brown STEM Girl organization, a place that focuses on providing support for girls of color who dream the same dream as her.
She voiced her passion, “You’re not too young to do anything. I feel like I have proven to myself that I can do anything that I put my heart and mind to.”
