Emily Sullivan, a freshman at Bainbridge High School, has been nominated to serve as a delegate to the Congress of Future Medical Leaders in Lowell, Massachusetts, in June. Sullivan will join students from around the country who aspire to join the medical field at the three-day congress.

”I feel honored and surprised because I wasn’t expecting this,” Sullivan said. “I am not only representing myself, but my family and my town. I know it is going to be hard, but I know it is going to benefit me later in life no matter how hard it is.”

Students will have the chance to hear from Nobel Laureates and National Medal of Science Award winners, who will talk about current research in the medical field. Deans from some of the top medical schools in the country will also be in attendance to teach the students what they can expect from medical school. Students will hear from patients who are considered to be medical miracles talk about their experiences.

“Being a doctor has been one of those things that has laid in the back of my brain since I was little,” Sullivan said. “I had no idea this even existed until I just got a letter in the mail one day.”

After attending the congress students will be granted access to social networks where they can connect with others who aspire to join the medical field and with current physicians and medical students who can act as mentors.

“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,” said Richard Rossi, Executive Director, National Academy of Future Physicians and Medical Scientists in a press release. “Focused, bright and determined students like Emily Sullivan are our future and she deserves all the mentoring and guidance we can give her.”

Sullivan, who says she hopes to be an anesthesiologist, will attend the congress from June 25-27.