by Mason Blanford
The Paducah Sun
March 21, 2023
Used with permission.
Nathaniel Skinner found his career path thanks, in part, to the Baptist Health Paducah Medical Explorers program. A talk with a doctor on biomedical engineering clicked with a childhood affinity for Legos.
“We see different parts of the hospital and hear from different doctors. One of them was talking about biomedical engineering and it just really interested me,” said Skinner, 17. “What little I know about the brain, spinal cord and nerves is fascinating. I think I would be challenged and happy as a neurosurgeon.”
Skinner, a Paducah Tilghman High School senior, is dual-credit enrolled at West Kentucky Community and Technical College. He’s thinking pre-med, with biology and engineering, at Georgetown College. Centre College is another option.
Both roads would lead to med school and neurology.
“I want to keep doing as much as I can because it’s not slowing down once I go to college,” he said, calling the thought “a big motivation.”
“I want to stay busy, so college isn’t some whole new hurdle to jump through. I want it to just flow together,” he said.
He credits the Kentucky Governor’s Scholars Program for goal reinforcement.
“GSP really drives you to be more successful; it helped me be more open,” he said, citing middle school robotics and high school carpentry as other inspirations. “It helps you to go out of your way and make friends — you’ve gotta keep pushing.”
Skinner likes soccer and volunteers at local charity kitchens. He’s visited El Salvador on trips with Starfish Orphan Ministry, which he said lent “a broader perspective.” He began the violin in third grade, one of several instruments, and plays with the school orchestra.
He hasn’t failed to notice how musicians and surgeons alike need fine motor skills.
“When I was first learning the violin, my teacher told me to stop attacking the music like it was a math problem,” he said. “I think neurosurgery would be like taking a complex piece of music, picking it apart and using that knowledge to improve a different piece of music that doesn’t seem to work right.
“I love playing the violin, but I also love playing the banjo and the guitar. It really depends on my mood. Music calms me down when I have a lot of work; it’s good to just clear your head.”
Skinner, son of William Skinner and Dr. Rennie Church Skinner of Paducah, is the Murray State University Teen of the Week.
Each Tuesday, The Sun covers a notable area high school senior. Around the end of the school year, a selection committee then chooses one “Teen of the Year” out of the overall Teen of the Week group, who receives a $5,000 scholarship. A second student wins the Inspiration Award and a $1,000 scholarship.