The popular internet trend of practicing empathy has finally reached Edina High School. From volunteering with kids to starting kindness clubs, EHS is overflowing with the potential to become the humanitarian sanctuary the world lacks today. Specifically, graduating seniors are leading the way with the most benevolence of all: majoring in pre-med.
“It’s just so fulfilling,” senior Danielle Astor said. “I know I get to help people.”
Astor is one of many EHS students majoring in pre-med, growing her passion early on. She joined 16 different medical clubs freshman year and is currently a member of 30. Furthermore, she started her own medical club, “Tall Girls With Glasses Who Want to Become Doctors.” She plans to become an anesthesiologist. Additionally, she is unworried about the struggles of becoming a doctor, as she considers herself to be one of the most hardworking and most deserving students.
“It was so hard to get to where I am,” she said. “The hours I spent studying in my library will never come back.”
The rise in pre-med majors has resulted in more students taking Enriched Biology and AP Biology. This led Edina High School to build a new attached building, which they named the Pre-med Building. The Pre-med Building was designed with sophistication and style in mind. It features the latest “Operation” games, as well as a large informational database for those looking to decide which kind of doctor they would like to become.
Despite the range of positions, it was determined that the number of students who had selected neurosurgeon perfectly aligned with the number of students who only viewed the average salary section.
Additionally, the pre-med majors have shown that kindness truly comes from the heart, with a large amount of EHS pre-med majors having community service hours dating from the beginning of their freshman years until their college application deadlines.
“I think volunteering is what inspired me to become a doctor!” senior Lukem Grace said.
Grace volunteered as a tutor for freshmen to obtain the majority of his volunteer hours.
“It’s really one of my favorite things, you know?” he said. “I get to combine my intellect with volunteering… and I get to help people.”
All in all, pre-med majors are single handedly disproving the school’s “cake-eater” reputation. Their blatant thoughtfulness demonstrated through volunteering and willingness to attempt such a difficult major shows that Edina students can think about something other than money.
This piece was originally published in Zephyrus’ print edition on May 19, 2026
