Siegel High School Senior Had an Excellent Summer Experience

This summer, O'Brien Gentry had the opportunity to join other high school students from across the nation to take part in a unique academic development experience, the National Youth Leadership Forum (NYLF): Medicine, that took place on the campus of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

While there, he visited the Simulation Center at Campbell University School of Medicine where he had the opportunity to work on "patients" by taking blood pressures, inserting IV's, stitching up sutures, and operating on a "car wreck victim." He also witnessed a surgery on video broadcast while at the forum.

After attending the NYLF: Medicine and having the chance to talk to many medical students, doctors, and hearing from motivational speakers, it's clear that Orthopedics is the area of medicine that he wants to pursue. "It grabbed my attention more than any other area, and the fact that I can relate due to many sports injuries over the years is a plus," says O'Brien.

"The hands-on experience was excellent!" says O'Brien. "The most rewarding part of the trip was getting to see the insight of what it's like to be a medical student. If it be God's will, that's the direction I'll be taking after graduating high school while continuing to play basketball," he added.

He can't wait to personally thank the teacher who nominated him for the Forum.