WINONA LAKE — Aleena (Sallot) Brown, daughter of Jeffrey and Sharon Sallot of Winona Lake, was accepted to the University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, where she will study to become a surgeon beginning this fall.

Brown will graduate from Grace College in May with a bachelor’s degree in health science and minors in chemistry and behavioral science. She is a 2014 graduate of East Noble High School in Kendallville.

“Medical school has always been the goal,” said Brown, who had her first job shadowing experience at age 12.

According to a press release from Grace College, Brown was very interested in medicine as a child. Her parents encouraged her, buying books on science and medicine. They have continued to be a large part of her journey. Her mother offered support through Brown’s uncertainty, and her father took her to her exams and every interview. Her advisors at Grace helped her prepare applications, calmed her through rejections, and celebrated with her when she got her acceptance. Grace’s curriculum allowed Brown to take more courses to prepare for medical school and challenged her in pre-medicine classes.

After medical school, Brown will go into residency to become a surgeon. She has not yet chosen a subspecialty, but her ultimate goal is to become a surgeon at a teaching hospital. “The best doctors are teachers,” Brown said.