At just 13 years old, Alena Analeigh Wicker just became the youngest black student to ever be accepted to medical school.
She was reading chapter books at 3 and taking high school courses at 11 and she enrolled in two colleges at 12 to earn two separate degrees.
The brilliant young teen has always been a few steps ahead of her peers but doesn’t think she’s too different. After Alena was bullied for being a “smarty pants” early in elementary school, her mother decided to homeschool her for several years.
Encouraged by her family, she applied for early acceptance to medical school at the University of Alabama’s Heersink School of Medicine for 2024 and in May she was accepted into the program, even though she is more than 10 years younger than the average incoming med student.
The chances of Alena being accepted were already very slim, with only 7% of applicants being accepted into US medical schools and only 7% of those being black students.
Alena decided the best way to accomplish her goal professionally was by aiming to become a doctor by the time she turns 18. She is currently on track to complete her two undergraduate degrees by the spring of 2024 and to begin medical school that fall.