Senior Zoe Forehand has picked her future career based on her favorite show, Grey’s Anatomy. From a young age, the show sparked her interest in medicine, specifically neurosurgery. From ages 8-16, Zoe was convinced she would be going to school to pursue a pre-med degree. However, once she discovered how intense the process of obtaining a medical degree is, not to mention the debt, Zoe began to rethink this decision. “I knew I still wanted to do something in the medical field, I never had a doubt about that,” she shared, “so once I began to dig a little deeper, I decided I would enjoy being a NICU nurse.” For Zoe, her best work is done under pressure, and she does not doubt that the NICU is the best fit for her.
After high school, Zoe will be attending Northern Arizona University to pursue her nursing degree. She did not make this decision lightly; the university offered her a full tuition scholarship for maintaining her impressive GPA. Additionally, Zoe will graduate as one of the top 20 scholars in her class. Her high school career has consisted of being a member of Sahuaro’s Book Club for the past two years and being an editor for The Paper Cut during her senior year.
Outside of school, Zoe spends her time hanging out with her friends and family. Along with this, she spends her free time helping her grandparents with their six horses. She has grown up around horses, and caring for them has always been her norm. Zoe says, “I grew up riding, I honestly could not tell you how old I was the first time I rode a horse. I think my grandma had me on a horse as soon as I could sit up on my own.” When Zoe was 6, her grandparents bought her her first horse, Chula. “She was my first real pet, and I learned so much from her.” For years, she spent her school breaks and weekends training with her horse. Now, most of her grandparents’ horses are too old to ride. When she helps with them, it mainly consists of bathing, grooming, and turning the horses out to run.
Zoe is an avid fan of Taylor Swift, admiring not just her music but also her message and accomplishments in a male-dominated industry. Taylor Swift’s advocacy for women’s empowerment serves as an inspiration for Zoe, influencing her daily life and personal values. “I truly believe a lot of people still have the idea that it’s a man’s world,” says Zoe, “Taylor Swift breaking records that men set in the generations before her is something I look up to. Nobody is doing anything close to what she is, yet people still find a way to diminish her success because she’s a woman in the music industry.” As she heads into the medical field, Zoe will continue to look up to the strong women around her and lean on them when needed.
