Nationwide — Alanah Poullard, an African American teenager from Jennings, Louisiana, is graduating high school at just 16 years old. What’s more, she has been accepted into 60 colleges in the country, securing over a million dollars in scholarships.“It’s happening so fast it feels like I just started my first year of high school, like my first day of high school, and now to say I’m graduating is just a shock,” Poullard told KLFY.
Her passion for medicine is evident, having earned an internship at the American Academy of Medicine and Surgery at the University of California last summer.
“When I say I ran to that bathroom so quick, and I was jumping up and down. I had jumped out of my heels. I was so happy,” Poullard recounted.
11 years ago, Poullard made headlines at the age of 5 when she met former President Barack Obama. She even personally asked him to write an excuse note to her teacher. She missed school to attend a Wounded Warriors program at the White House with her parents, and Obama gladly obliged.
Now, as she prepares for college, Poullard offers advice to dreamers facing academic challenges.
“Just because you don’t have a high A-C-T score or your grades might not be that good, you can still apply to that school if you want to,” Poullard said. “I guarantee you when you have a long list of community services that you’ve done, that’s going to say a lot about you as a person.”
Moreover, Poullard has decided to attend Louisiana State University to major in microbiology. Her ultimate goal is to attend medical school and become a trauma surgeon.