Canon-Mac sophomore
Michelle Blaser sets her
sights on the medical field.
BY W.B. FRESA
A
t 16, Canon-Mac
sophomore Michelle
Blaser already knows
what she wants to be when
she grows up. She’s so sure, in
fact, she’s already taking classes
to prepare her for a future in
medicine and will be attending
the Congress of Future Medical
Leaders in Boston.
The Congress is an honors-
only program for high school
students who want to become
physicians or go into medical
research fields. The event honors,
inspires, motivates and directs the
top students in the country who
aspire to be physicians or medical
scientists to stay true to their
dream and, after the event, to
provide a path, plan and resources
to help them reach their goal.
At a young age, Michelle can
remember always taking care of her
parents if they got sick. It’s something that
came naturally to her.
“I don’t know why, necessarily,” says
Michelle. “It’s just what I’ve always done.”
And even though there were other
careers she thought about, as she got
older her mind always went back to
medicine and being a nurse.
“As I started learning about different
jobs in the medical field, I decided I want
to be a pediatric oncology nurse. I babysit
a lot and I love kids, and I can’t imagine
any child having to suffer through that
disease. I want to be able to help people
and change their lives for the better,” she
explains.
To prepare for the demands of a
nursing career, Michelle is taking
specialized classes at Western Area Career
& Technology Center (WACTC).
“I attend Canon-Mac High School for
the first five periods of the day and then
of the National Academy of
Future Physicians and Medical
Scientists, to represent Canon-
McMillan based on her academic
achievement, leadership
potential and determination to
serve humanity in the field of
medicine.
“It’s such an exciting
opportunity and I’m so grateful,”
she says. “We’ll get to watch a
surgery and hear top medical
professionals speak about their
careers and the importance of
their work.”
During the three-day
Congress, students will hear
Nobel Laureates and National
Medal of Science winners talk
about leading medical research;
get advice from Ivy League and
top medical school deans on
what to expect in medical school;
witness stories told by patients who are
living medical miracles; be inspired by
fellow teen medical science prodigies;
and learn about cutting-edge advances
and the future in medicine and medical
technology.
“This is a crucial time in America
when we need more doctors and medical
scientists who are even better prepared for
a future that is changing exponentially,”
says Richard Rossi, Executive Director,
National Academy of Future Physicians
and Medical Scientists. “Focused, bright
and determined students like Michelle
are our future and she deserves all the
mentoring and guidance we can give her.”
The three-day conference will be held
in Lowell, Massachusetts, in June and will
be attended by students from across the
country.
Michelle with her teacher
Michele Eaborn.
go to WACTC for my medical classes,”
she says. “I absolutely love my teacher,
Michele Eaborn. So far she’s taught us
medical terminology, labs and different
skills about being a nurse. I seem to
pick up some things more easily than
others; bones and their structure was
pretty simple, but the integumentary
system, which is all about the skin and its
appendages and how it protects the body
from various kinds of damage, was really
hard.”
Despite that, Michelle carries a 4.0
GPA and it’s what helped her to become
the only student in her school to be
invited to the Congress of Future Medical
Leaders.
“I was so shocked,” she recalls. “I got
home from school and my mom said,
‘There’s a letter for you and it looks pretty
official.’”
Michelle was nominated by Dr. Mario
Capecchi, winner of the Nobel Prize
in Medicine and the Science Director
Continued on next page >
CANON-MAC
❘
SUMMER 2018
15