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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (July 13, 2022)
July 13, 2022 The Skanner Portland & Seattle Page 9 A By BOTWC Staff A 13-year-old has made history as the youngest Black person to get accepted into medical school, 12 News reports. Alena Wicker has always been driven, excelling academically and getting accepted to Arizona State University’s engineering program when she was just 12 years old. Ini- tially, her goal was to one day work for NASA. Once she got into the coursework, her focus shifted. “It actually took one class in engi- neering, for me to say this is kind of not where I wanted to go. I think viral immunology really came from my passion for volunteering and going out there engaging with the world,” explained Alena. Now 13, Alena has set her sights on a career in biology, inspired by a trip to Jordan she took and The Brown STEM Girl foundation. Af- ter finishing two and a half years of college in one year by taking a full course load at ASU and Oakwood University, the teen has now made history by becoming the youngest Black person to get accepted into a medical school in the United States. If her plan works, Alena will be a doctor by the time she turns 18. She plans to focus on helping those communities most impacted by vi- By BOTWC Staff Alena Wicker ruses. “What I want from healthcare, is to really show these underrep- resented communities that we can help, that we can find cures for these viruses,” said Alena. She will be attending the Univer- sity of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine. Her goal is to make a name for herself in the world and inspire other young girls to do the same. “I really want to leave my mark on the world. And lead a group of girls that know what they can do…I want to inspire the girls. I want them to see that there are no lim- its,” she said. Originally published on Becau- seOfThemWeCan.com. Mississippi teen saved three girls and an officer from drowning after the girls’ car sank in a local river, WLOX news re- ports. 16-year-old Corion Ev- ans was at the right place at the right time last week. A vehicle drove off the I-10 boat launch into the Pasca- goula River when Corion sprang into action to save the three girls inside. “They drove straight un- der the water. Like, only a little bit of the car was still above the water,” Corion recalled the harrowing or- deal to reporters. The car traveled about 20 feet away from the shore before sinking. When Co- rion saw the girls trying to get out, he threw his shirt, shoes, and phone and just jumped in. One of Corion’s friends, Karon “KJ” Brad- ley, also joined in the res- cue efforts to get the girls to safety. “I was just like, ‘I can’t let none of these folks die. They need to get out the water.’ So, I just started getting them. I wasn’t even PHOTO COURTESY OF CORION EVANS 13-Year-Old Alena Wicker Makes History After Getting Accepted Into Medical School News Mississippi Teen Saves Four People From Drowning After Car Sinks in River thinking about nothing else,” said Corion. A student at Pascagoula High School, Corion said he’s been swimming since he was about three years old. But even with his ex- pert skills, the rescue was still a struggle. Not only did he have to help the three girls to shore, Moss Point Police Officer Gary Mercer, who responded to the scene and swam out to help, also began having trouble staying afloat. “I turned around. I see the police officer. He’s drowning. He’s going un- derwater, drowning, say- ing, ‘Help!’ So, I went over there. I went and I grabbed the police officer and I’m like swimming him back until I feel myself I can walk…They was out there throwing up because a lot of water had got inside all of them. 25 yards out, so it was a lot of swimming. My legs were so tired after. Anything could’ve been in that water, though. But I wasn’t thinking about it,” Corion explained. Chief Brandon Ashley praised the teen’s heroic efforts, saying, “The police department and I com- mend Mr. Evans’ bravery and selflessness he dis- played by risking his own safety to help people in danger. If Mr. Evans had not assisted, it could have possibly turned out trag- ically instead of all occu- pants rescued safely.” Corion’s mother, Mar- quita Evans, said she’s so proud of her son and glad See TEEN on page 11
