May is the month when many students graduate and look forward to attending college in the fall. In that respect, Victoria Campbell, age 17, daughter of Dale Campbell (who finished high school at Union Grove) and Myong Won Khym, and granddaughter of Gayle and Clovis Campbell of Gilmer, is no different. However, instead of entering college as freshman this fall, Victoria begins post-graduate studies preparing for the MCAT exam and applying to medical school.

On May 21st, Victoria was one of eight students graduating from the Department of Earth and Planetary Science at University of California at Berkeley, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Science. Victorias primary research was isotope thermochronology, a method that applies chemistry, physics, and mineralogy to determine the age of rocks and minerals.

In addition to her classes at Cal, as UC Berkeley is affectionately known by its alumni, Victoria was an active member of Rotoract, the college chapter of Rotary International and was the club photographer. Her volunteer activities included many service projects such as cleaning up local beaches and parks and painting houses for the elderly and disabled. She also volunteered in the marine biology lab where she observed an octopus using a clam shell to cut through netting and escape from its side of the aquarium.

To accomplish this feat, Victoria took an early route to college. Since age eight, she wanted to become a medical missionary doctor. By age ten, she completed all the subjects required to graduate high school, but she spent an extra year studying more advanced subjects such as college-level calculus with analytic geometry. At age eleven, she took the SAT (college entrance exam) and began taking college classes at Norwalk Community College a few days after her 12th birthday. She also attended summer school at UC Berkeley, and studied at the University of Connecticut for one year before transferring to Cal as a full-time student.

Victorias tenacity, as evidenced by ten years of studying piano, and graduating high school and college early, combined with her passion for service and volunteering will serve her well in her journey to achieving her dreams of becoming a missionary doctor.

Related story: 12-year-old goes to college

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Victoria Campbell begins post-graduate studies at early age