Freeport High School sophomore Kenzie Cochran was nominated for The Congress of Future Medical Leaders and will attend a conference at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell in June.

Kenzie Cochran, a sophomore at Freeport High School. Courtesy of Michaela Cochran

Cochran’s nomination was based on her academic achievements, leadership skills and interest in medicine, and was signed by Dr. Mario Capecchi, Ph.D., winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine and science director of The National Academy of the Future Physicians and Medical Scientists. The academy offers free services and programs to students interested in medicine and has a goal of identifying prospective medical talent “as early as possible” to jumpstart their careers, according to a news release.

After learning of her nomination, Cochran said she was ecstatic.

“I got this adrenaline rush, because I’m really interested in the medical field,” she said.

Cochran will join students from across the country at a three-day conference June 21-23 to hear Nobel laureates and National Medal of Science recipients speak. Students will also hear from deans of Ivy League schools, learn about cutting-edge medical advances and hear stories from patients considered to be “living medical miracles.”

“I get to see the dynamics in what goes on in the medical field,” Cochran said. “I’ll be able to see a recorded surgery that is broken down step by step.”

Cochran said her teachers at Freeport High School have inspired her love for biology, and she hopes to study at Tufts University one day. Unsure of what specialty she would choose to study in the medical field, Cochran plans to ask doctors at the conference how they chose their career paths and why.