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Caroline senior Tatianna Taylor recently took the test to become a certified emergency medical technician. She dreams of becoming a doctor. |
Tatianna Taylor wasn't grossed out when she dissected a human brain in elementary school.
She decided she wanted to be a doctor.
A program for gifted students allowed Tatianna, now a senior at Caroline High School, to get an up-close look at a brain that had been donated to science.
"I remember I had studied the night before, locating all the parts of the brain," said Tatianna, 17, who moved to Caroline County from Northern Virginia about a year ago.
She said she hogged the brain and pointed out its parts to a teacher. In other words, she was a bold third-grader.
"It was really interesting, and I became fascinated with it," she said. She wants to specialize in neurology.
Tatianna, who graduates from Caroline High tomorrow, recently took a test to become a certified emergency medical technician, and plans to volunteer for the Ladysmith Rescue Squad.
"It will help me prepare for medical school," she said.
She's also an accomplished public speaker. This year, Tatianna represented Virginia in the American Legion's National Oratorical Contest in Indianapolis.
She recently placed first in a public-speaking contest at Caroline High sponsored by the Rotary Club. Over the winter, she used a $50 public-speaking prize to buy a bicycle for a girl whose family couldn't afford one.
And she was selected as the most valuable player on Caroline High's tennis team. Her friends teased her, calling the senior awards night "Tatianna's awards night."
Her father, Ricard, said he doesn't how Tatianna--or her mom, Norma, for that matter--has managed the busy schedule.
"She survives in chaos," her dad said. "Thrives in it, actually."
In May, Tatianna spent a 10-hour day with the Bowling Green Rescue Squad. They responded to an 8 a.m. call about a man who had apparently suffered a stroke.
EMTs gave the man oral glucose, she said, but his blood pressure spiked and he began shaking. They had to administer an IV and transport him to Mary Washington Hospital.
She said she chose to watch because the situation was serious.
"It was really interesting," Tatianna said. "Even though we didn't get anything else for the rest of the day, it was worth it."
The EMT test required that she answer 100 multiple-choice questions and act out two scenarios. During one of the exercises, she immobilized the spine of a person portraying a car-accident victim.
Tatianna's accomplishments have earned her as much as $40,000 in scholarships. She'll attend the University of Mary Washington, and plans to eventually go to medical school at Virginia Commonwealth University.
"If there is anyone that I've ever taught that is going to be a doctor, I think she will," said Caroline High English teacher Patricia Douglas.
Jeff Branscome: 540/374-5402
Email: jbranscome@freelancestar.com
| WHEN: Tomorrow TIME: 7 p.m. PLACE: Caroline High School football field; in case of rain, ceremony moves to the gym. |
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During the high school graduation season, The Free Lance-Star will be profiling one outstanding senior from each locality. |
