Salem's Ciciotti to attend
elite leadership conference

BY ED WRIGHT
May 17, 2010, 9:30 p.m.

  Salem two-sport athlete Brandon Ciciotti is going to take a serious first step toward his future as a healer this summer.

  The straight-A junior has been selected to attend the prestigious 10-day National Student Leadership Council beginning June 23 at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.

  Ciciotti has his sights set on becoming a doctor, a profession he'll get a chance to learn about on an up-close-and-personal basis from some of the most renowned medical professionals in the country.

  "I've always wanted to get into a profession where you can help people, and the medical profession has always

interested me," Ciciotti said. "At the conference, I'll be able to ask medical professionals questions and there will be hands-on projects we'll be working on. I'm looking forward to it."

  The conference offers students an opportunity to attend specialized workshops and classes designed to develop the skills and traits that define a leader.

  Leading professionals and professors from top colleges facilitate the program and engage the students in activities that provide participants with a day-in-the-life understanding of a prospective career.

  Ciciotti, who has earned varsity letters in football and lacrosse, listed advanced-placement biology as his favorite class.

  He is a wide receiver for the Rocks football team and a lacrosse mid-fielder.