Katelyn Mueller always loved the idea of being creative, but said she never had the knack for the arts.

That’s when the junior at Niles New Tech Entrepreneurial Academy turned to science.

“I really found my outlet there,” said Mueller, one of a select group of students who will attend the Congress of Future Medical Leaders in Washington, D.C. Feb. 14-16.

“It has that creative component that I’ve always been going for. I think it would be incredible to use creativity and that intelligence base to one day be able to help people.”

Mueller was nominated by Dr. Connie Mariano, the Medical Director of the National Academy of Future Physicians and Medical Scientists, to represent Niles New Tech based on her academic achievement, leadership potential and determination to serve humanity in the field of medicine.

The Congress is an honors-only program for high school students who want to become physicians or go into medical research fields. The purpose of the event is to honor, inspire, motivate and direct the top students in the country who aspire to be physicians or medical scientists.

During the three-day Congress, Mueller will join students from across the country and hear Nobel Laureates and National Medal of Science Winners talk about leading medical research; be given advice from Ivy League and top medical school deans on what is to expect in medical school; witness stories told by patients who are living medical miracles; be inspired by fellow teen medical science prodigies; and learn about cutting-edge advances and the future in medicine and medical technology.

“It’s an incredible opportunity,” Mueller said. “I look forward to meeting people who have won Nobel prizes in medicine and meet kids my age who have made a lot of advancements in the medical world, which is incredible to me.”

Mueller, 16, is dual enrolled at New Tech and Lake Michigan College, maintaining an “A” average in her classes. She participates in several extra curricular activities, including theater, Science Olympiad, Ecology Club, Student Ambassadors, Robotics and Reading club.

She also works part time at Olfactory Hue Bistro and Pizza Transit, both in downtown Niles.

She looks forward to representing Niles at the Congress.

“A lot of the base on New Tech is to get us out into the community and I think that it is really amazing that we can expand all the way to D.C. for something like this,” she said. “I think it will be cool to come back and share the experience with my peers.”