Enrolling at Butler first step toward medical school for Shelbyville Valedictorian

Editor’s note: This is the sixth in a series of feature stories celebrating the Class of 2026 valedictorians and salutatorians at the five high schools in Shelby County.

The Shelbyville High School Class of 2026 Valedictorian showed interest in several of the top academic schools in the country. In the end, one closer to home provided the right opportunity.

Mylez Clark will attend Butler University in the fall to double major in Biochemistry and Spanish with the goal of attending medical school.

“In medical school nowadays, if you thrive in whatever degree you are pursuing, you can still get in,” explained Clark. “I want a foundation to build off of. I think biochemistry fits perfect with organic chemistry and life chemistry and all the stuff that’s the foundational building blocks to succeed in medical schools and build on more of the anatomy type focus when I get to that level.”

Clark wants to be a neurosurgeon helping those with traumatic brain injuries extend their lives in meaningful ways. And with his ability to speak Spanish, he wants to help those in other countries as well.

“Anyone in critical condition with brain traumas will do anything to get another couple of weeks to live,” he said. “There is a huge demand for that. There are people that will do anything to live another day. When I think about that, it inspires me to take the time and put the effort in to save some of these people.”

Clark recognizes he has always been an exceptional student but he credits the foresight as a high school freshman to challenge himself by taking AP Biology as the reason he rose to the top of his graduating class.

“I set the goal I wanted to thrive in education going into high school,” said Clark. “At the end of the day, I am not the smartest person in my grade. I just worked the hardest at it. I firmly believe that. There are other people more intelligent. I think that it was the effort I put into school.”

And if Clark was feeling a little down and needed a pick me up, he could always turn to Rocky Balboa for inspiration (photo: Clark with Rocky Balboa statue in Philadelphia).

“Rocky can be a little cliché, but I fell in love with the movie since I was in middle school,” he said. “He is an inspirational figure to me personally and that speech, we’ve listened to it in my family for years when you needed some inspiration.”

Clark even added a Rocky reference into his valedictorian’s speech at graduation.

“If this is the last time I am going to really connect with my peers and even their parents since we are all going on to this next stage of our life, what is something no matter who you are, or where you are from that you need to hear,” said Clark of his speech. “I just thought having something inspirational that is something you can go achieve and do the best at whatever you do is powerful, and you need to hear that.”

Clark is the 2026 Lilly Endowment award winner for Shelby County. That scholarship will help him earn his bachelor’s degree without carrying debt on to medical school.

“I am super honored and thankful for the (Blue River Community Foundation) and what they’ve done with the scholarship,” said Clark. “For me, it’s given me a full ride (scholarship). Butler told me if I go there, they will cover the room and board so it’s worked out perfect. I should be debt and loan free for my first four years and that is incredible.”

Clark is the son of Jason and Meranda Clark.

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