In a historic achievement, a 13-year-old prodigy from Texas has made history as the youngest Black person ever accepted into a U.S. medical school. Alena Analeigh Wicker, who graduated from high school at just 12 years old, was granted early acceptance to the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Heersink School of Medicine.

Wicker’s acceptance is part of the school’s Burroughs Wellcome Scholars Early Assurance Program, which partners with historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Wicker, who is currently a junior studying biological sciences at both Arizona State University and Oakwood University, has already completed a significant portion of her undergraduate coursework.

“I’m a junior in college. Statistics would have said I never would have made it. A little Black girl adopted from Fontana, California. I’ve worked so hard to reach my goals and live my dreams,” Wicker wrote on her Instagram page following the news.

Initially, Wicker had her sights set on a career at NASA, even becoming the youngest intern at the space agency in 2021. However, her passion shifted to medicine after a trip to Jordan with her non-profit organization, The Brown STEM Girl, which she founded to encourage girls of color to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). She now plans to become a viral immunologist.

“What I want from healthcare is to really show these underrepresented communities that we can help, that we can find cures for these viruses,” she said.

While her achievement is nothing short of incredible, Wicker says she remains a normal teenager who enjoys baking and spending time with friends. “I just have extremely good time management skills and I’m very disciplined,” she said. “What is age? You’re not too young to do anything.”