Dorchester’s Amiel Reid exemplifies the timeless ideals that dedication and determination are keys to success.
As a METCO student at Belmont High, Reid has undertaken a wide range of academic and extra-curricular interests — including science, political activism, language and music — and brings the ethic of hard work to each pursuit.
Science is Reid’s favorite subject in school — and more than his other classes, this one strikes a personal chord. As a child, Reid was diagnosed with sickle cell anemia, a genetic blood disorder that transforms normally round blood cells into twisted, sickle-shaped cells that clump together and block the flow of blood to different parts of the body.
Since then, Reid, 16, and his family have become advocates for stem cell research and better children’s health care. Two years ago, they traveled to Washington D.C. to discuss these issues with Sen. John Kerry and other members of Congress, and later they were asked to appear on PBS’ “Nova Science Now” to address stem cell research.
As a result of his advocacy work, Reid was invited to work in a research lab with Dr. George Daley of Children’s Hospital. Last summer, for instance, he grew red blood cells out of stem cells — a procedure that could be one of the keys to finding a cure for sickle cell anemia.
Reid said he’s been interested in science since childhood. Right now, the high school sophomore said he is particularly interested in physics and genetics.
In addition to science, he also studies Chinese, a language he began learning in pre-school. Through his high school’s language curriculum, Reid will participate in an exchange program this spring — he will travel to China and live with a host family to immerse himself in Chinese language and culture.
Outside of school, Reid spends much of his time focused on music. When he was 5 years old, he began playing the piano. A few years later, he picked up the cello.
“I just wanted to try it to see if I liked it,” Reid said of both the piano and cello.
And he did. Now, in addition to performing with his high school orchestra, Reid also studies at the exclusive Longy School of Music in Cambridge. He spends every Saturday there, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., rehearsing with the youth orchestra that features high school musicians from all around New England. Outside of these rehearsals, Reid practices at least an hour a day.
Music also has taken Reid to different parts of the world. Last year, he auditioned and was selected for the American Music Abroad Honors Orchestra, a group that sent students from Massachusetts and Virginia on a one-month tour across Europe.
Reid raised all the money for the trip himself. He fundraised by writing letters to family and friends, and by offering his music — live performances and CD recordings — as a thank you gift for donations.
This summer, he hopes to participate in a chamber music program.
But Reid is not just a performer — he also enjoys music composition and hopes to someday write movie soundtracks. One of his favorite musicians is John Williams, the former conductor of the Boston Pops and composer of some of Hollywood’s more memorable soundtracks such as “Star Wars,” “Jaws,” “E.T. the extra-terrestrial” and “Superman.”
His mother Lynnie attributes this wide-ranging success to “discipline and the ability to focus.” “If you’re given a project [in a lab] it’s not so different than if you’re given a piece of music,” she explained. “It’s the same application that’s required to do well in school or at work.”
Like most teenagers, Reid is undecided about his education after high school graduation. “I might go to college for music,” he said, admitting that he could just as easily go to college for science.
And that’s the point: Reid has options.
When asked what motivates him, he said simply, “thinking about the future.”