Brookhaven High senior chosen as delegate to Boston medical leadership conference
Published 10:17 pm Thursday, June 21, 2018
- Allison Mackenzie Freeman
A senior at Brookhaven High School has been chosen by a Nobel Prize-winning scientist to represent Mississippi at a medical leadership conference.
Allison Freeman will be a delegate to the Congress of Future Medical Leaders which will be held in Lowell, Massachusetts, next week. The Congress is open only to honor students with an interest in becoming physicians or working in medical research. The purpose of the event is to inspire young minds with an interest in medical science to pursue their dream of entering the medical field.
Freeman was surprised to be chosen to attend since she didn’t apply.
“I think it’s gonna be interesting. It’s supposed to give me a head start about learning about the field,” she said.
Freeman was nominated by Dr. Mario Capecchi, winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine and science director of the National Academy of Future Physicians and Medical Scientists. She was chosen based on her academic achievement, leadership skills and passion to serve others in the field of medicine. Students must have a minimum 3.5 GPA to attend.
The Academy offers free services and programs for students who aspire to be physicians or go into medical science. These services and programs include online social networks through which future doctors and medical scientists can communicate; opportunities for students to be guided by medical students and physicians alike; and communications for parents and students on topics such as college acceptance, finances, acquisition of skills, internships and more.
“I am very proud of Allison. It’ll steer her and give her direction on where she wants to go in the medical field,“ her mother, Kayla Freeman, said.
The BHS senior plays trombone in the Ole Brook Marching Band, and she is in the show choir. Her high school course load has been strenuous so far, with Freeman enrolling in advanced placement courses such as AP chemistry, AP physics, and English composition 1 and 2.
Freeman plans to pursue a career in psychology and specialize in behavioral therapy, and she would like to work with children and teens. Her future goals include attending Mississippi State University to pursue her bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate in psychology.
Story by Gracie Byrne