TRINITY ALUMNI KAYLA KELLEY SELECTED AS PRIMARY CARE ACCELERATED TRACK SCHOLAR (ACT) AT MERCER SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

By Samantha DePriest

One of the first to be listed as a 2022 Primary Care Accelerated Track Scholar (ACT) at Mercer School of Medicine is our very own TCS Class of 2017 Alumni Kayla Kelley. Kayla started at Trinity in PreK and reflects on more than a dozen years at TCS helping to shape who she is today. She shares that she felt connections with each of her teachers and remains in contact with them even now 5 years later.

She credits the Lord first and foremost, her parents, and her teachers and coaches for helping to guide her down the path she is on today. Kayla shares that they helped her establish a strong foundation for how to study and also how to have a creative release. She said that balance was what she needed in order to hit the ground running in college. Kayla said the strong foundation of Faith she developed in her formative years helped her to navigate the waters that are college.

Kayla was not only involved in academics, but also in athletics and fine arts. She played on the tennis team with Coach Amy Simonton and played on a doubles team whom was the 1st team to make it to State for TCS. She also helped found Chess Club at TCS with fellow classmate Kate Forde. She competed in Fine Arts playing piano and is in fact playing piano in a fellow TCS Alumni’s wedding later this year. Kayla embraced every chance to plug in to our school community and made the most of every opportunity she was given.

It was hard to for Kayla to name just one teacher who impacted her life. Mrs. Rinkenberger was both her teacher and Discipleship Group Leader and is now her mentor and friend. She lovingly refers to her as “such a gem”. Mrs. Simonton stimulated her creative side and helped her find a creative release when she wasn’t studying. She credits Mrs. Adams with helping her polish her reading and writing skills. She said “Mrs. Adams was always checking in on my well being” and was and still is my friend. Mrs. Forde cares so much about her students and called us all her “lil chickens”. She shared that Mrs. Forde poured into her both inside and outside of the classroom.

Kayla felt the Lord leading her into the field of Medicine and doors began to open for her at Mercer. She has participated in volunteer efforts, research, mission trips, leadership, and various other opportunities at Mercer. While Covid presented many hurdles, the Lord made a way and she is where she is today because of her Faith, determination, and courage to keep taking that next step.

Lastly, Kayla shares that “College isn’t for everyone so to follow your interests and where the Lord is calling you. God has a plan for each person and you just need to trust that it will all work out. The Lord will give you peaks into your future in bite size pieces…..otherwise it might be too much. You just have to let go and let God.” We can’t wait to see what all God has next in store for Kayla over these upcoming years. She is certainly impacting tomorrow’s world and inspiring others. To learn more about her most recent honor, please click on the button below.