Rising junior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Kamron Soldozy, represented Northern Virginia at the Congress of Future Medical Leaders, a gathering of the nation’s brightest high school students interested in medicine, from June 25-27. Photo Contributed
Rising junior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Kamron Soldozy, represented Northern Virginia at the Congress of Future Medical Leaders, a gathering of the nation’s brightest high school students interested in medicine, from June 25-27.
Faculty at TJHSST and Robert Darling, medical director of the National Academy of Future Physicians and Medical Scientists, nominated Soldozy because of his outstanding transcript and medical career goals.
At the Congress, Soldozy saw Nobel Prize winners, medical school deans, doctors, researchers and patients speak. Other highlights for Soldozy included observing a surgery live-streamed from Alexandria and discussing his cholesterol project with a researcher in the field.
“It’s amazing how much a doctor can impact their patients’ lives and how really grateful patients become after someone like a doctor or a surgeon just turns everything around,” Soldozy said.
Soldozy decided to pursue a career in medicine when his grandmother passed away in Iran due to poor medical treatment.
“The doctors in Iran didn’t treat her with compassion. They didn’t care as much, but when you come here and you hear about the passionate doctors, it makes me want to do what the Iranian doctors didn’t do. It makes me want to make up for what they did,” Soldozy said.
This summer, Soldozy volunteers at Reston Hospital Center where he directs visitors to patient rooms. Soldozy also listens and delivers flowers to patients.
“He is a great volunteer here at the hospital. He learned the job very quickly and is very professional,” Coordinator of Guest Relations at Reston Hospital Center, Cyndee Hochstrasser, R.N., wrote in an email.
After the Congress, Soldozy observed surgeries in July, interned at a chiropractic practice and applied to do research at universities. Soldozy has not yet decided whether to become a physician or a researcher.
Outside of medical activities, Soldozy displays his love of helping others as a basketball referee.
“He’s able to have conversations and whole conversations with people twice, sometimes even three times his age, and that’s a skill that not a lot of people have. He’s very personable, very easy to get along with. Knowing how he works as a basketball referee and how he applies himself, I know he’s going to be a great success in everything that he does,” Soldozy’s boss, Ruiqi Zhang, of Leesburg, Basketball Commissioner for Potomac Valley Officiates Association, and engineer, said over the phone.