Alena Analeigh - 13 years old and accepted to medical school talks about her journey on The Bennie Randall Show

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Alena Analeigh Wicker is just 13 and she was recently accepted into the University of Alabama's Heersink School of Medicine for 2024. According to The Washington Post, she was accepted as part of the school's Early Assurance Program, which partners with HBCU schools in Alabama to offer students early acceptance as they plan to enter medical school.
Shortly after getting the acceptance letter, she opened up on Instagram about the exciting news.
"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," she wrote. "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," she added, going on to credit her mother, Daphne McQuarter, for all her support.
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"Mama I made it," Alena wrote. "I couldn't have done it without you. You gave me every opportunity possible to be successful."
"You are the best mother a kid could ever ask for," the teen added. "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."

Of course, like any other kid her age, Alena enjoys going to the movies, baking, and spending time with her friends.
"I'm still a normal 13-year-old," she told The Washington Post.
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The teen is currently a student in two undergraduate programs studying biological sciences at both Arizona State University and Oakwood University.
"I just have extremely good time management skills and I'm very disciplined," she told the Post.
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Alena isn't only focused on the classroom when it comes to her education. In 2021 she became the youngest intern ever at NASA. In an interview with The Baltimore Times, Alena said the dream started early for her.
"I was around three or four years old when I became fascinated with the stars and space and LEGOs," Alena said. "My mom began taking me to different astronomy nights and NASA Centers. I remember walking in saying 'I am going to work here one day, and I will be the youngest girl of color to work here.'"
She also told the outlet her ultimate goal is to become a flight surgeon and "work with astronauts."
Alena's impressive achievements don't even stop there. She also founded the Brown STEM Girl, an organization for girls of color who are interested in exploring careers in STEM -- and was a finalist for this year's TIME's Top Kid of the Year.
"What is age?" she told The Washington Post. "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."