This Hanford High grad is getting more than $40,000 to jump start her medical studies
It’s amazing that Alexa Best can find time in the day.
She’s a member of the Key Club, National Honor Society, Buddy Club, Sports Med Club and Link Crew. She played three sports and volunteered at Kadlec Regional Medical Center.
And she did all that while maintaining a 3.8 GPA.
She also spent a stretch of that time on crutches after tearing her the ACL ligament in her knee — twice.
“I’ve always been known to push myself,” the Hanford High senior said. “It’s important for myself because it makes me feel like I’m contributing to society.”
Best, who was one of 20 nominated from Washington for the U.S. Presidential Scholar award, gets her diploma Friday and has plans to head to Spokane’s Whitworth University to study health science.
Early college expectations
A lot of her drive comes from watching her mom’s struggles when they were growing up. After getting divorced when Alexa was young, Saundra Best needed to find a better job to support herself and her young daughter.
She returned to school at Washington State University, first in Pullman and then in Richland, until she finished her degree.
“My mom started school before I was born, but she couldn’t finish it because she had me,” Alexa said. “She taught me from a young age to start early with school and to be motivated an push yourself.”
She set her sights on college. Even with all of her other activities, Alexa makes sure to find time for homework. She said the balance can be hard, but she just makes sure she doesn’t procrastinate.
“She’s definitely driven,” her mother said. “She’s a very confident person and likes to help others. ... I’m super proud of her.”
Whitworth scholarships
All of that drive has paid off, Whitworth provided her with about $40,000 to pay her tuition, and she’s also earned a scholarship from Kadlec after volunteering in the emergency room.
It also caught the attention of her guidance counselor who thought she would make a good candidate for a Presidential Scholar.
The annual competition draws nominees from each high school in the state. The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction picks 20 for consideration for the federal award.
Alexa was one of the first Hanford students to be picked on a state level in more than 30 years. One of her essays told the story about her mom’s influence on her life.
“Our community and Falcom family are very proud of them and know they will represent us well,” Principal Tory Christensen said after she and Michael Pham were nominated, though they did not win the national honor. “These kids can do whatever they strive to do.”
Injury leads to career choice
Alexa had a promising sports career when she started at Hanford, becoming the co-captain of the girl’s basketball team when she was a sophomore.
It was cut short in the summer before her junior year when she hurt her knee. The healing process was tough and even as she tried to get better, a mass developed and stopped her from extending her knee.
The lesion ended up injuring her again.
Even during her six weeks on crutches she still attended games and became the team manager, her mother said.
Alexa’s time in doctor offices and getting treatment left her with an interest in helping others when they have sports-related injuries. She plans to get her degree in health science and then go on to medical school to become a physician’s assistant.
“Because I’ve gone through it myself, I’ll be able to sympathize with my patients and really understand what they’re going through — rather than being all technical about what is going to happen,” she said.
This story was originally published June 6, 2019 at 6:46 PM.