Alena Analeigh Wicker makes history as the youngest African American accepted into medical school. The young queen received an early acceptance from the University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine. And if that isn’t enough to have you screaming “#BLACKGIRLMAGIC,” Alena graduated high school at 12 and has already completed more than half of her undergraduate requirements at Arizona State University and Oakwood University in just one year.
Alena Analeigh Wicker Wants to Leave Her Mark on the World
UAB informed Alena that she was selected for the school’s Burroughs Welcome Scholars Early Assurance Program. The program partners with several Black schools in Alabama to offer students early acceptance as they plan to enter medical school.
“I really want to leave my mark on the world. And lead a group of girls that know what they can do,” she said in an interview. Initially, the young scholar wanted to pursue engineering. However, she fell in love with biology after a trip to Jordan with The Brown STEM Girl Foundation.
“It actually took one class in engineering for me to say this is kind of not where I wanted to go,” she said. “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,” she added.
After Alena received her acceptance letter, she took to her Instagram to thank her mother for all her support.
Congratulations again to Alena, and we wish her much success in medical school.
