Principal Jeremy Chilek presented the Congress of Future Medical Leaders official Award of Excellence to junior Jaycob Kenney Wednesday as a result of his attendance at the congress in Boston this summer. At the congress, Kenney listened to numerous speakers that presented the new cutting-edge innovations in the medical field that have been developed over the past year.

“It was pretty awesome for someone like Jaycob to get to see some of the new technologies coming out,” Chilek said. “It definitely gave him some of the experiences necessary to propel him in the field.”

Kenney was selected to represent Lindale and Texas at the national congress. There, Kenney got to meet students from around the nation who had the same passion in the medical field that he has.

“[Kenney] got selected from a group of students around the country to be in this congress,” Chilek said. “For someone like Jaycob to attend something like this helps to get Lindale some  recognition nationally.”

At the conference, Kenney witnessed and met both the person who had received the first bionic eye and the surgeon who performed that surgery. Kenney also got to listen to the innovations that led to the first full-face transplant while getting to meet the man who had received it.

“It was inspiring to hear all of the events that have happened,” Kenney said. “Meeting the people that have done and gone through the surgeries that have advanced the medical field was incredible.”

The high school offers a variety of classes to help students who want to help advance their careers in the medical field. These classes provide opportunities for those who want to specialize in fields such as physical therapy, registered nurses, and being a medical doctor.

“For other students who want to be in the field, definitely meet with Jaycob so you can get some insight on the conference he attended,” Chilek said. “It’s also important for these students to reach out to Mrs. Clemmons and Mrs. Kirklin to get some further insight into the field from our own staff.”