Sara Naessig is a second-year medical student at Wayne State University School of Medicine. She graduated magna cum laude from Manhattan College, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology and served as a team captain on the Division 1 women’s soccer team. After graduating, she worked at NYU Langone in the spine research center and then later at the Massachusetts General Hospital in the orthopedic sports medicine department, where she was able to conduct her own research on improving care for athletes and people with physical ailments. During her time at Wayne State, she has served as Class President for the Class of 2026 and has utilized her platform to create a partnership between Detroit public school athletics and Wayne State in order to bridge the gap in medical support that many young athletes face. Sara is also interested in the connection between physical health and nutrition, and her work with the medical student garden has sought to improve public health through community engagement, educational opportunities, and research endeavors.