Alena Analeigh Wicker is just another case of #blackgirlmagic and a living hidden figure.
The 13-year-old Global Child Prodigy has been accepted into the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Heersink School of Medicine. Her admittance makes her the youngest Black person ever to be accepted to a medical school, according to Black Enterprise.
“Statistics would have said I never would have made it,” she captioned her Instagram post and posted her acceptance letter on June 30. “A little black girl adopted from Fontana California. I’ve worked so hard to reach my goals and live my dreams.”
She went on to pay tribute to her mother. “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.
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Wicker graduated high school at the age of 12 and is currently taking undergrad classes at Arizona State University and Oakwood University, a historically Black university in Huntsville, Ala. She aspires to become a doctor by the time she is 18.
Wicker initial aspiration was to pursue an engineering career and work with NASA one day. But after taking a class in engineering, she realized that was not the direction she wanted to take. Instead, she found a new passion, biology.
“I think viral immunology really came from my passion for volunteering and going out there engaging with the world,” Wicker told 12News. “What I want from healthcare, is to really show these underrepresented communities that we can help, that we can find cures for these viruses.”
The teen prodigy is also the founder of Brown STEM Girl foundation, which provides scholarships, mentoring, and resources to students of color interested in pursuing STEM careers. Currently, she is raising money through her foundation to take a few girls to the Art Science Museum in Singapore.
“I want to inspire the girls. I want them to see that there are no limits,” she said.
