Abbi Fleagane ‘25, a senior at Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech), loves exploring new coffee shops and enjoying the beach; however, her main interest lies in studying medicine.
“Addiction medicine is definitely underfunded, and there are many misconceptions surrounding it. The field is dynamic and ever changing, serving a population that deserves passionate doctors and empathetic medical care, something that I want to be a part of,” Fleagane said.
In the summer of 2024, Fleagane explored this interest by joining the Health Occupations Pipeline Education (HOPE) Program at Ventura County Medical Center (VCMC) where she observed and shadowed professionals, ranging from nurses to doctors. “I was able to witness countless surgeries, patient rounds and even more extreme things like childbirth and trauma codes. I [also saw] the amazing parts of medicine, one of my favorites being a C-section, along with the hard parts [like] a trauma patient passing away and a maternity code, which helped me decide that medicine is truly what I want to pursue,” Fleagane shared.
Because of this exposure, Fleagane found her calling for not only the medical side of science, but psychiatry and the study of addiction medicine.
“My rotations in the addiction medicine outpatient clinic, as well as the detox unit, were the most memorable parts of my summer. I found the science behind addiction medicine really interesting and I enjoyed the patient interactions I had in that unit the most by far. The patients there all had such unique stories and…so much personality that it made every appointment different,” Fleagane stated.
“Addiction medicine is a very dynamic field, and I like the creativity and people-skills that it requires — It is very undervalued in medicine today,” she explained.
Additionally, Fleagane is a lab manager in Foothill Tech’s BioScience Academy where she gets to “subculture many different organisms, pour agar plates, order equipment, take inventory and ensure that the lab is running smoothly” for the juniors during their MedTech microbiology unit.
Furthermore, Fleagane is a co-founder of Foothill Tech’s Red Cross Club with her friends. Fleagane recalled her time in the club saying, “We have volunteered at events like Sound the Alarm, where we installed fire alarms in local homes to increase fire safety and awareness. We ran the Comfort Kits for Kids drive where we collected and purchased items to support children who were victims of natural disasters. We ran bake sales to raise money for our club, and volunteered at youth education events like the zombie apocalypse preparedness camp [which] taught kids safety tips for natural disasters. We also hosted the Holiday Cards for Heroes event at school where we created cards for veterans.”
As she prepares to graduate high school, Fleagane has her sights set on a degree in neurobiology and she will be attending the University of California San Diego (UCSD) in the fall of 2025. Adding onto this plan, Fleagane shared her “eventual goal of attending medical school and pursuing a career in addiction medicine.” During this evolving time as a young adult, Fleagane will continue to step outside of her comfort zone and challenge herself creatively in the name of science.
