KING’S GRAD SEES CAREER IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
At 18, Kelly Ahkee of Lake Worth says she doesn’t have her entire life figured out yet, but knows she wants to help people.
“I want to positively impact society with research or help people with prosthetic limbs,” said Ahkee, King’s Academy’s valedictorian. “My main goal in life is to help people.”
Ahkee has already started chiseling away at her goal. Besides maintaining a 4.11 unweighted GPA while being president of multiple honor societies, Ahkee volunteers as a tutor.
For the past two years, Ahkee said, she helped local elementary school children, whose first language isn’t English, after school with their English and math homework.
At first, Ahkee said, it was challenging because of the language barrier, but she quickly learned how to communicate in a way the students could understand, and now she enjoys her time with them.
“I wanted to give back to the community and be a role model for the students,” said Ahkee.
Besides tutoring, Ahkee has spent her summers taking rigorous science classes at different universities through the Duke TIP Summer Studies Program.
After taking the SAT in seventh grade, Ahkee was eligible to take science enrichment courses including human dimensions of biotechnology class, and conducted in-depth research on sickle cell anemia at Duke University going into her sophomore year of high school.
The following summer, Ahkee went to the Georgia Institute of Technology, where she took a class on biotechnology drug delivery and helped create a device for plaque removal in the arteries.
“That’s when I further became interested in biomedical engineering,” she said. Ahkee will attend Georgia Tech in the fall to study biomedical engineering.
Georgia Tech might be Ahkee’s future, but she said she couldn’t have gotten there without an internship in Boynton Beach that sparked her curiosity and confirmed her desire to work in the medical field.
For the past two summers, Ahkee shadowed Dr. Dipnarine Maharaj at the South Florida Bone Marrow Stem Cell Transplant Institute, learning about stem cell research and treatments for leukemia.
“I was the youngest intern,” said Ahkee.
As of now, Ahkee doesn’t plan to study stem cell research but said “it would be something I consider in the future.”
Ahkee’s father is a doctor, which is where she thinks part of her love for biology comes from, but says she doesn’t want to follow in his footsteps.
“I considered being a doctor like my dad, but I want to integrate creativity into my career,” said Ahkee. “I like the freedom and discovery part of biomedical engineering.” Q&A
What are your hobbies? Running, hanging out with friends, watching movies, trying new food
What would you do if you were invisible for a day?
I would go to my future college and sit in classes to figure out which professors are the best.
If you could have dinner with anyone in history, who would it be?
[James D.] Watson and
[Francis H.C.] Crick because they discovered the molecular structure of DNA, which was a huge discovery in biotechnology history.
What is the best advice you ever received?
My mom always tells me,“Don’t put off what you can accomplish now” (don’t procrastinate), which is something I’m still learning.
What is your favorite childhood memory?
Meeting my best friend on the playground in first grade. She’s honestly the most genuine and kind person I’ve ever met. Even though she moved away in middle school, we’re still really close friends, which I’m super thankful for!
Who is your hero, someone who inspires you?
Jesus Christ, because he is my Lord and Savior. I definitely could not have accomplished what I have done so far without his grace. I’m so grateful for my relationship with my Father in Heaven and that I know his love for me. His Word inspires me every day and gives me strength and guidance in everything I do. God is so good!
What is something most people don’t know about you?
I traveled a lot when I was in elementary school, and I’ve been to England, France, Italy, Israel, Switzerland, Ireland, Costa Rica, Peru, Ecuador and South Africa. I’ve also visited Mauritius, the island where my parents are from, several times!
What three things would you bring with you if you were stuck on a desert island?
A lot of food, my laptop with a satellite dish, and my Bible.