WCHS freshman heading to Boston area for Congress of Future Medical Leaders

Whitley County High School freshman HayLee Baird has been selected as a Delegate to the Congress of Future Medical Leaders, which will be held June 21-23, just outside Boston on the University of Massachusetts Lowell campus.

The Congress is an honors-only program for high school students who want to become physicians or go into medical research fields. The purpose of this event is to honor, inspire, motivate and direct the top students in the country interested in these careers, to stay true to their dream and, after the event, to provide a path, plan and resources to help them reach their goal.

Baird recognized the importance of community involvement and public stewardship at an early age.

In 2017, when she was only 10 years old, she donated all of her birthday money to the Williamsburg Shop with a Cop program. Since that time, she has raised over $2,000 for that same program.

Baird currently volunteers at the Senior Citizens Center in Williamsburg. She is also in the Whitley County High School Beta Club and on Whitley County High School Softball Team while maintaining a 4.375 GPA.

Baird’s nomination was signed by Dr. Mario Capecchi, winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine and the Science Director of the National Academy of Future Physicians and Medical Scientists, to represent Kentucky based on her academic achievement, leadership potential and determination to serve humanity in the field of medicine.

During the three-day Congress, Baird will join students from across the country and hear Nobel Laureates and National Medal of Science recipients discuss leading medical research, be given 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. Focused, bright and determined students like HayLee Baird are our future and she deserves all the mentoring and guidance we can give her,” according to a release.

Baird is one of two delegates representing Whitley County High School this month. D’Shawn Henderson, a freshman at the school, has also been selected.