NC welcomed a new medical club, organized by magnet junior Alison Bolanos, with open arms. The first meeting took place on Thursday, August 19, 2021, where Bolanos introduced herself and became acquainted with her thirty new peers. The Medical Club meetings will occur every third Thursday of the month in room 608 with the supervision of AP Seminar teacher Jenna Essenburg who jumped into the role of an advisor. In her first meeting, Bolanos passed around slips of papers so that everyone could write down their preferred study of medicine, which will aid her in choosing topics for future meetings. 

“We are trying to increase knowledge of expertise and skills needed to participate in the medical field, types of job opportunities and local volunteer opportunities for students who are interested in that field one day. We’re also trying to be very student-driven. Anyone can pitch ideas and we’d prepare a lesson about that particular field and what it takes to get into it,” Essenburg said.

Club members will vote on leadership positions, which everyone aside from freshmen can run for. At the meeting next month, potential candidates can prepare a speech for positions such as vice president, secretary, and treasurer. Bolanos will hold the title of president until she graduates in 2023.

  Bolanos started this club to give others interested in the medical field new opportunities. She hopes to provide information about specific fields of medicine, different types of education, time management, and the art of suturing. Bolanos wants to influence her peers and help them pursue careers in medicine. She believes that the medical field will continue to grow as will the need for future specialists and doctors. 

“I want to be a neurologist when I am older, so I also want to give people my age an opportunity to learn about the medical field and see if they want to be a part of it when they are older,” Bolanos said. 

The club not only offers opportunities to others but also to Bolanos herself. She feels that by teaching others, she will gain more knowledge about other fields of medicine. Bolanos loves numerous science classes including AP Biology, AP Psychology, and magnet Chemistry. From a young age, Bolanos wanted to take part in the medical field and developed a passion for helping people. After reading The Brain by David Eagleman, she knew she found her future career path. 2020’s quarantine allowed her to extend her research on what the medical field proposes.

As part of this club, Bolanos offers community service opportunities such as donating medical supplies like masks, hand sanitizer, bandages, and gloves to nearby medical centers and local nurses. Bolanos will also help members prepare for an amazing opportunity at the Wellstar Volunteen Program. She joined the Volunteen program in June 2021 and adored it. Only 50 kids, ages 15-18, can join, and they must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Students can submit an application with at least 100 words on why they want to join Wellstar’s Volunteen Program.

The club welcomes all NC students to join, and Bolanos claims it would not only look great on college applications but also give students a better understanding of what the medical field offers. Bolanos plans on sharing her passion with others and would love to see numerous NC students join the Medical Club. Find her on Instagram @alisonhayleyy and join her remind @ncmed to join NC’s newest club.