Hi! I am Elena Young and I'm a sophomore at Stone Bridge High School. I have been invited to represent Stone Bridge at the 2020 National Youth Leadership Forum for Advanced Medicine & Health Care this summer. This is a 10-day program hosted by George Mason University at Johns Hopkins University. Some of the highlights of this program include: Apprentice Doctor Workshops learning aseptic and suturing techniques, manikin simulators and gross anatomy lab rotations at University of Maryland Medical school, Medical Ethics, Virtual Reality Simulation and Demonstration at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and learning first hand from some of the top Physicians and Scientists from Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, Georgetown University, Columbia University  and the National Institutes of Health to name a few. I'm so excited because I grew up hearing about health care innovations both in medicine and "alternatively" from my mom all my life. At the end of the program I even give a presentation of a case study that will be assigned to me! I even earn college credit from G.M.U.! I was so excited that when I read the invitation I cried! Anyone who knows my past gets where I'm coming from. You see in elementary school my classmates called me dummy and told me I’d never succeed; I almost believed them if it wasn’t for my mom. In fourth grade she took me to a specialist who diagnosed me with auditory and visual dyslexia and several other what everyone calls learning disabilities. Montgomery County retested me and immediately gave me an IEP. With the help of AWESOME Montgomery and Loudon County Public School System Special Education Teachers, my mom and A LOT of hard work from ME, I caught up the equivalent of two years in reading and three in math in one year. This quarter, I managed to pull off a 3.5 GPA; even with AP and honors classes.

Ever since I was little, I imagined I was a physician; playing Dr. House and mom the patient, running for ice packs when someone was hurt and watching surgeries on YouTube. And since high school, my dream has been to become a surgeon; pediatrics or cardiology. I really feel like this might be what I’m meant to do to help people. I so badly wish to attend this summer leadership program, but the tuition is almost $4,000; room, board, materials/books and transportation not included. I know my mommy will make it happen somehow. I want to start working weekends and some days of the week at Old Navy in April (I must be 16 years old) because I want to buy my $300 surgical kit myself. A GoFund me account was set up to help pay for this program. With all my heart, if friends of ours would believe in me enough to help me too, I promise I won't let you down! Thank you so much in advance! :)

Love, Elena