Plymouth native Ava Boston works as a physiology and anatomy professor for Norfolk State University, a destination born out of years of passion for education and a dedication to research.

The daughter of Angela and Larry Boston, Ava has always grown up with an inkling for science, education and an inquisitive eye towards what makes the world work.

Hailing from a long line of teachers and educators, Boston set out to make her mark long before ever leaving high school.

Early on, she was part of the Viking Scholars Program, a partnership between Plymouth High School and Elizabeth City State University, which allowed high school freshmen to accumulate college credits.

It was something that was an early stepping-stone towards becoming one of the first early graduates in PHS history alongside two of her classmates.

“Me and two other girls were sitting at the lunch table and we were talking about how we had all finished our credits, so there was really no reason to stay. We thought it’d be nice to get a jumpstart on college,” she recalls. “So we went to the guidance counselor to see if it was possible… we ended up graduating in December so we were among the first to get out of there early.”

After graduating from PHS in 2011, she entered Elizabeth City State University as a junior thanks to the Viking Scholars Program years prior.

Here, she planned to become a pediatrician and later joined ECSU’s honors program. Later, with the help of Julius Walker and Guidance Counselor Betsy Lewis, Boston applied for and obtained ECSU’s Chancellors Academic Scholarship. It was an opportunity that would have financed the entirety of her college career had Boston continued on her current medical track.

However, she became far more interested in scientific research, specifically where diabetes was concerned.

“I loved science so much that I came across the opportunity to become a research doctor. That was actually the path I pursued instead,” Boston recounts. “So I took another full scholarship, the Mark Scholarship, which gave me the same full ride and a stipend, instead.”

With his pivot, Boston’s interest in pathology would shift towards cancer research, something that was inspired by personal tragedy and would later frame her career path moving forward.

“I actually did a little bit of diabetic research in the chemistry lab when I first started… but towards the end of my stay at ECSU, my dad actually got sick with esophageal cancer,” she laments. “Ironically I was actually doing research at a cancer lab at the time… it was a real sore spot for me, but I ended up rethinking becoming a pediatrician and going into cancel research, full stop...”