Wayne Jackson

George Washington University

Biomechanical Engineering

I was born in Los Angeles. My interest in academics was cultivated by my mother and by my grandmother, who was a Los Angeles school teacher. I was accepted into the Gifted Magnet Program at Crenshaw High School in South Central Los Angeles.

I wanted to eventually become a physician, so I applied for and was accepted into the Biomechanical Engineering Program at George Washington University. I am currently a junior in the PreMed Track, applying for early acceptance to the George Washington School of Medicine. I was the Freshman Class President of the Black Student Union.

In addition to vitally needed scholarship dollars, the South Central Gifted Scholar Fund helped me obtain a paid internship with David Cannom, M.D., in cardiology at Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles in 2003. In the Summer (2004), the Fund arranged for an internship with an orthopedic surgeon in surgery and clinical medicine. These experiences allowed me to begin to network with people in medicine and to see that medicine, and specifically surgery, are endeavors that I want to pursue. These experiences also helped me begin to understand how research and engineering play such critical roles in medicine.

The Fund assigned Dan Milder as my mentor. Mr. Milder advises me on career and life choices. Mr. and Mrs. Milder have included me in their family and have welcomed me into their home.

There have been many difficulties and obstacles in my life, and while I have tried to learn from each one, The Fund has encouraged me to realize my potential and to believe in myself.