She's Harvard Bound

Meet Gabrielle Samsock. Gabrielle is not your average wish kid. When the 14-year-old told Make-A-Wish representatives her wish, “their jaws dropped.”

The native of Factoryville, Pennsylvania was born with Shone’s Syndrome, a rare form of heart disease. Gabrielle has since had several medical treatments and surgeries. Throughout her time as a patient, Gabrielle was inspired to become a doctor, or more specifically, a pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon.

 Now, if you think that’s special, you’ll never believe what her one wish was: to attend Harvard Medical School. Once Dr. Robert Kitts, a child and adolescent psychiatrist, physician, and clinical instructor at Harvard, he, “had to make it happen.”

Kitts developed a week-long program for Gabrielle, including an orientation and “graduation” ceremony on Friday. Gabrielle had the opportunity to start in August alongside the first-year students at HMS and participate in introductory courses and labs.

Gabrielle told FoxNews that her favorite part of the week was observing an open-heart surgery on a 2-month old infant. Apparently, she told Dr. Kitts that this reaffirmed her dream to be a doctor.

When the week was over, Gabrielle attended her “graduation” ceremony and was awarded an honorary certificate of accomplishment. The freshman in high school is now extra motivated to study hard in school and prepare for bright future ahead! Learn more about Gabrielle's story here.