Alena Wicker, 13, made history as the youngest Black person accepted to med school in the U.S. (Photo: Courtesy of Alena Wicker)
A 13-year-old prodigy from Texas made history when she became the youngest Black person accepted into medical school in the United States.
Alena Analeigh Wicker learned she’d been accepted by the University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine after completing two and a half years of college in one year’s time by taking full course loads at Arizona State University and Oakwood University. She attends the schools remotely.
This isn’t the first time the 13-year-old prodigy has stunned the nation. Last year, Wicker also made headlines when she was accepted into Arizona State University’s engineering program at just 12-years-old.
Her dreams of working at NASA were short-lived after taking a class that Wicker says revealed she didn’t have a love for engineering. “It actually took one class in engineering, for me to say this is kind of not where I wanted to go,” Wicker told NBC12 News.
After taking one biology class, Wicker knew she’d found her passion. “That class was amazing,” Wicker said adding, “I think viral immunology really came from my passion for volunteering and going out there engaging with the world.”
Whatever she ultimately decides to do, Wicker already knows she wants to be a changemaker.
“I really want to leave my mark on the world. And lead a group of girls that know what they can do,” Wicker said.
Her homeschooling educational model allows her to explore a variety of interests. It is one Wicker said her mother transitioned her to at age seven after she was the victim of a racist comment from her then-principal.
“I was mostly homeschooled, but also did spend some time in traditional schools. In fact, 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,” Wicker told Forbes in a 2021 interview. “It hurt, but it also made me determined. It convinced me that I could, and would, prove them wrong by getting all As.”
She’s crushed that goal several times over. In addition to her impressive educational accomplishments, Wicker started the Brown STEM Girl Foundation (BSG). On its website, the foundation states its mission is “to provide an outlet for girls of color in STEM. We aim to engage, empower and educate. It is our hope that girls are motivated to become all they desire to be in the world.”
If all goes according to her latest plan, Wicker will be 18 when she becomes a doctor. She said she’s using her life to empower girls across the world.
“I want to inspire the girls. I want them to see that there are no limits,” Wicker said.
