Healdsburg High student body president Ryan Powers calls being named an alternate to the prestigious United States Senate Youth Program “an absolute honor.”

Powers is on tap to go to Washington for a week in March should Montgomery High senior Rena Wang be unable to go.

For a full story on Wang and the program, as well as a side story on Powers, see today’s Press Democrat (at least it was scheduled to run today).

Powers, a varsity tennis player who also started an a capella singing club on campus, has long been interested in medicine.

He interned at the University of California at San Francisco, doing DNA research on pediatric diseases last summer. He currently shadows Dr. Roberto Azcarraga, a family practice doctor who works in a clinic in Healdsburg.

There, Powers said, he has been able to see Azcarraga deal with amazing cases: skin afflictions, fatty deposits, bizarre scabbing.

“It was really disgusting, but it was awesome,” he said.

He also has had an up close and personal look at what he calls the shortcomings of the nation’s current health care set up. Powers, with knowledge that belies his 17 years, can outline where problems affect doctors and patients every day and what he believes might be good fixes.

This combined interest in both medicine and politics is leading Powers to consider both a career as a doctor or possibly a health care advocate, like a lobbyist.