RIDGELAND, Miss. ( WJTV ) – Celia Lane always knew she wanted to be a doctor.

Over the course of a year, her research on maternal-fetal medicine and how nutrition plays an important role earned her the title of National STEM Champion in Mississippi.

“I was really surprised but also, I don’t want to say surprised because I feel like that’s how women in STEM are conditioned to feel when they get any awards, like I don’t deserve this. I’m trying to own it, like yeah I did that,” said Celia, Junior at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School.

Celia is involved in an independent research program at St. Andrews. She’s passionate about becoming a maternal-fetal medicine specialist.

It was no surprise when that was her topic for the submission to the National STEM challenge.

“I researched the impact of the gut microbiome on arginine synthesis which in simple terms, is just how your gut microorganisms impact the formation of this amino acid in your body that’s really important for maternal-fetal health,” Celia said.

The 17-year-old is among 126 students nationwide recognized for their incredible work in the National STEM Challenge. Celia wants other young innovators to not be deterred, because change doesn’t happen overnight.

“Be confident and don’t doubt your ability to make an impact, even if it seems small. It always starts small,” she said.

When Celia is not helping change the world, she enjoys cooking, playing soccer, or diving into a good book.

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