For the past two years the Medical Science Academy has taken a majority of the freshman class to tour the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. Our students have the opportunity to tour the medical school, tour Memorial Herman Hospital, and listen to a medical school admissions presentation. During our 2015 freshman visits our students have also had the honor of listening to a panel discussion presented by the Student National Medical Association. During the panel discussion current first through fourth year medical students talked about their high school, college, and graduate school experiences. Students had the opportunity to ask a variety of questions from types of majors, to expenses, to work/life balance. At the end of the panel discussion our students began their tour. One of the biggest honors for our freshman students in attendance on November 3, 2015 is not only hearing from several medical school students but hearing from Hightower High School and Medical Science Academy alumni James Oyeniyi and HHS and MedSci Academy alumnus Jessica Lee.

James is a 2008 graduate of the Medical Science Academy and HHS, a 2012 graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, and will be a Class of 2016 graduate of the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. Upon graduation, James plans to pursue a surgical residency. During the panel discussion James was the only medical student to state that he knew that he wanted to be a surgeon before he came to medical school; which has not changed since he started. He credits his passion for surgery to the Health Science rotation course and Practicum of Health Science course he took during his junior and senior year while attending the Medical Science Academy.

Jessica is now a first year medical student at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Class of 2019. Jessica graduated from the Medical Science Academy and HHS in 2011 and then went on to the University of Texas at Austin where she graduated in 2015. Twenty-one of the 42 students who attended the field trip had the pleasure of walking and talking with Jessica for over an hour during their tour. It was an extra special day for Ms. Nina Starnes as she was Jessica’s first teacher in the Medical Science Academy.

From all of us here at the Medical Science Academy and Hightower High School, we want Jessica and James (and all other MedSci alum) to know how proud you make the faculty and staff at HHS. Congratulations and Good Luck!