Advice

Hi, how are you? I am a high school senior who is going to a really good(Just stating not boasting)public university that is know for its Biology department next year. I was awarded a program that lets me become a part of a science related research as a assistant in lab and in long run(Júnior) do my own. Can I get a well-thought advice on how to best utilize this opportunity since I am very novice to it and does this have a significant impact on the medical school application which I hope to do after undergrad, if so how? How much do medical schools value research experience of an applicant?
Thank you for your time and cooperation hopefully.