Logan Wolfel
Las Vegas, N.M. – A New Mexico Highlands chemistry graduate gained coveted early acceptance to the University of New Mexico School of Medicine.
Logan Wolfel will begin medical school at UNM in July 2018, saying his long-term goal is to serve New Mexico communities as a physician.
“My strong science education at Highlands definitely helped prepare me for pursuing medical school,” Wolfel said. “It was a medical research internship Highlands helped me get at Boston University in the summer of 2016 that made me believe medical school was an achievable goal.”
Wolfel will graduate from Highlands in May 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry with a concentration in biochemistry. He has earned a 3.97 GPA to date.
The 21-year-old Albuquerque native has garnered a number of awards at Highlands, such as being named Organic Chemistry Student of the Year in 2016 and an ARMAS Scholar for academic excellence in science disciplines.
“All my science professors at Highlands were exceptional and have been beyond supportive of my drive to get into medical school,” Wolfel said. “Any time I had questions regarding the process they were right by my side to help me find the answers.
“I can’t thank these professors and mentors enough, like Dr. Joseph Sabutis in physics, Dr. Jessica Snow and Dr. Ben Nelson in biology, and Dr. Chris Stead in biochemistry, among others,” Wolfel said.
Wolfel said his biochemistry courses with Stead were just some of the many instrumental courses at Highlands that helped prepare him for the MCAT – the medical school entrance exam.
“Logan is a highly motivated student who always put in extra time and effort to ensure that he excelled in every aspect of his education,” Stead said. “His ability to understand complex biochemical pathways was second to none. These attributes will undoubtedly serve him well in medical school, leading to a successful career in the medical profession.”
Wolfel gained research experience with Jessica Snow and other science professors at Highlands.
“Logan is the absolute model student who always impresses me with his drive, critical thinking, and inquisitive mind,” Snow said. “Our research was conducted at UNM and was related to gender differences in cardiovascular disease such as hypertension. We used mouse models in our study.”
Snow said Wolfel plans to present his findings from their research at the Annual Experimental Biology Symposium in San Diego in April 2018.
“My research with Dr. Snow was insightful on so many levels, and really helped me understand the pursuit of knowledge and higher education. I hope to continue hypertension research in the future,” Wolfel said.
Outside the classroom, Wolfel was a student government leader at Highlands, serving as a student senator. He was also vice president of the Chemistry Club, among other activities.
“My most memorable experience at Highlands involved outreach the Chemistry Club did to local youth to generate enthusiasm about science,” Wolfel said.
Wolfel said he is looking forward to the challenge of medical school.
“I want to experience a diverse range of subjects before making a decision regarding a specialty to pursue,” Wolfel said.