Kenechukwu Ugwunze | The drive to become a doctor: Eight elite, global university acceptances lead to a medical school pathway in Grenada
Kenechukwu graduated from Rosedale Global High School with partner Meadowlands Canadian School, located in Nigeria. She is currently studying Medicine at St. George’s University in Grenada, and was awarded an International Peace Bursary worth $80,000 USD, which is available to students studying the Ontario Secondary School Diploma and selects students that will contribute to a worldwide medical community.
The science courses offered through Rosedale’s Transformative OSSD fuelled Kenechukwu’s interest in the human body and in pursuing courses that supported her interests. She explains, “Rosedale has contributed significantly to my future. In the science courses, we did a lot of lab experiments and projects. The hands-on experiences were really interesting and definitely helped me choose medicine as my career path.”
Feeling confident to further explore her interests, Kenechukwu decided to volunteer at a local hospital. Her favourite memory was being asked to enter the operating theatre to witness surgery. Seeing her dream in practice inspired Kenechukwu, and the real-world exposure further cemented her ambitions to follow a path to become a doctor.
After leaving a British curriculum to study at Rosedale Global High School, Kenechukwu notes the overwhelming support provided to her by Rosedale teachers. She remembers them as flexible and always willing to help her each step of the way, with guidance and advice that were critical to her growth. Having such strong pillars of support at Rosedale empowered Kenechukwu to foster her skills in her academic and life pursuits.
“I built the capacity to collaborate effectively, while deploying a meticulous approach to tasks, to ensure I accomplish all of my goals. Because of these skills, I am confident that the Rosedale OSSD program has been crucial in equipping me for life as a medical student,” she says.
When the time came for Kenechukwu to apply for university, she was excited about the variety of global, science-based undergraduate options and was drawn to applying to universities in Canada, the UK, and Grenada. After receiving acceptances to eight elite global universities, she felt St. George’s University in Grenada would best support her desired career path, and she was accepted for direct admission into the pre-clinical program. But this was not an easy decision—Kenechukwu was initially considering attending the University of Toronto to study life science on the International Scholar Award, based on academic merit, and worth $125,000 CAD—and was also offered admission to: University of Edinburgh, University of Waterloo, McMaster University, University of Ottawa, Ontario Tech, and York University. Happy in her choice of St. George’s University, she notes the support received by Rosedale Global High School in making the next step of her unique learning path a reality.
“Rosedale provided me with the opportunity, skills and confidence to achieve my dream—I will become a medical doctor.”
