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Two former Selma High School graduates recently earned Tuscaloosa Rural Pre-Medical Internships from the University of Alabama’s Community of Health Sciences Program.

De’Von Benjamin and Valencia Bryant, members of Selma High’s Class of 2022, were chosen for the summer program for college students in pre-medical studies who are interested in rural primary care. Bryant was Selma High’s class valedictorian. 

The seven-week program provides opportunities for interns to learn about the health needs of rural Alabama residents, particularly into the fields of family medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics. Participants also see the life of family medicine doctors every day.

Students spend five weeks at CCHS and two weeks with a primary care physician near their hometown. They will complete the internship program on July 12.

The program is part of the college’s Rural Programs and its Rural Health Leaders Pipeline, a set of programs from high school through medical school that recruit students from rural Alabama interested in working as future doctors and other health care professionals in rural communities.

To qualify for the internship, students must have completed four semesters of undergraduate coursework, obtained an overall Grade Point Average of 3.0 or higher and scored on the ACT or 1200 SAT score. Only rural Alabama residents are accepted.