澳门金沙注册故事

超越她的年龄

Erika尼尔森 graduates at age 15 and is focusing on a career as a cardiac surgeon.

——萨德·蒂尔

Erika尼尔森 may be young, but at 15 years old, she has an appetite beyond her years. 

Erika has always been hungry to learn more, especially when it came to science. 谢谢 to her father, who encouraged her to push her boundaries, Erika’s unquenchable thirst for education continues to grow. 

On May 7, Erika celebrated her accomplishments and walked the commencement stage with 信心. She earned her associate degree from 澳门金沙注册, weeks before she will earn her high school diploma from the Osceola 学校 for the Arts. 

Erika started enrolling in college courses in the seventh grade through Florida Virtual 学校. She completed college algebra 1 and then during the summer of seventh grade, she completed college algebra 2 and geometry within the same semester. 而艾丽卡 was in her eighth-grade year, Covid-19 impacted her courses and she became a fully online, full-time, 澳门金沙注册 student -- all while still in middle school. 

“I found the courses easy so I always asked what the next step was, what more can 是的，”埃里卡说. 

Erika said she found the idea of challenging herself “interesting” and “fun.” 

“It was still very hard, but 我知道 what I was working towards and who I was working for,” 艾丽卡说, who was inspired by her father, who earned his doctoral degree in nuclear physics from France at the age of 19. 

“My dad is definitely proud,” 艾丽卡说. “He always knew I had more potential.” 

 

Originally from California, Erika said her father noticed her ability to exceed standards when she was in the second grade. 

“In second grade, I was able to retain information at the sixth-grade level. 我知道 I needed to catch up with the knowledge that I could truly retain. 我渴望 更多，”埃里卡说. 

Erika hopes to pursue a career as a robotic cardiac surgeon – a career choice that she says started when she began taking care of her father.  

Her father had a cyst removed when she was around 10 years old, and Erika said she 在手术室里吗. 

Erika said during the procedure, the nurse walked in and said, “You’re actually the first person out of kids or adults who have not fainted. 你有没有想过 在医疗领域工作?” 

Erika, full of excitement, replied, “That’s actually a really good idea.”

Later, when her father underwent hip replacement surgery, Erika was his caretaker. 

“I was his nurse; I was doing homecare and I took care of his bandages,” 艾丽卡说. “I gained experience through taking care of him.” 

A few years later, Erika received a life-changing call. 她父亲打电话给她 from his doctor’s office, where he’d been told that he could have a heart attack if 他没有接受手术. 

“My dad called me and asked for my advice of what the success rate is, procedure steps 甚至更多，”埃里卡说. “I did my research and we agreed surgery was needed. 这是 when I found my fascination for the heart.” 

He immediately underwent transvenous implantations, during which a pacemaker was inserted 并附在他的心脏上.

During the surgery, Erika said an AdventHealth executive asked her if she would ever be interested in working with robotics, because he was struck by her interest in the heart procedure her father underwent.  

“My passion just heightened, and I really loved the idea of being a robotic surgeon,” 艾丽卡说. 

Erika is thankful for the support of her professors, who never treated her like a 15-year-old, but like an everyday college student. 

“I was worried they would just treat me like a kid, but they were all very supportive,” 艾丽卡说. 

Erika turns 16 in July and plans to pursue her bachelor’s degree in biology. 她有 already been accepted into Florida Southern College, the University of Oregon, and 逊大学. However, Erika said she is still weighing her options. 

After earning her bachelor’s degree, Erika plans to attend medical school and apply 的奖学金. 

As a child, Erika said she always felt like an outsider because she wanted to learn more and knew she could do more. She urges others to pursue their passions and never 让任何事情阻碍他们. 

“If you think you can do more, JUST GO FOR IT,” 艾丽卡说. “当你饿的时候。 有些事，你会找到办法的.”