This year’s Governor General’s Academic Medal recipient has her sights set on becoming a surgeon.
Graduating a year early from Lake City Secondary School, Cheleine Doyle, 17, said she will be attending the University of British Columbia this fall, but will be taking her bachelor of science courses online from home due to COVID-19.
“I hope to major in Biology for the second year. I want to go into medicine and I want to be a surgeon.”
During school she did some work experience at Cariboo Memorial Hospital — two 12-hour shifts working with a few nurses.
“It was a really fun. I really enjoyed it,” she said.
Born and raised in the Williams Lake area with her parents Teanna Kannstaedter and Ryan Doyle, she has one sibling, a younger brother Kaden.
She attended 150 Mile Elementary School and always enjoyed learning about science, with a preference for biology.
Kannstaedter said Cheleine was a hard-working student from the get-go, garnering top academic awards in elementary school.
Read more: LCSS 2020 graduates honoured, celebrated for achievements in Williams Lake
“You have to balance work and play. I think that’s really important,” Cheleine said, noting one of her favourite hobbies is painting. “I just paint whatever. I’m not very good but it’s fun.”
Reflecting on the interruptions to Grade 12 due to the pandemic, she admitted she did not enjoy studying from a distance, adding she prefers learning in person.
She was ultimately surprised she was the recipient of the medal because she was one of six students highlighted at the graduation ceremonies that were all in the running.
“I didn’t expect it at all. I thought ‘my grades are good, but they are not good enough for that.’”
LCSS principal Craig Munroe said she rose to the top of that ‘elite’ group by about a half of a percent and only one student is awarded from each high school based on the courses they take in Grade 11 and 12.
“She’s just one of those top academic kids,” he said of Cheleine. “The fact that she accelerated herself is nothing short of amazing and she maintained her academic average of 95.92 per cent through COVID, which is no small feat as well.”
Normally the physical medal arrives to present to the students, but there has been a delay at the production facility due to the pandemic, Munroe said, noting it should arrive sometime this fall.
Read more: Many B.C. post-secondary institutions say fall classes will be offered mostly online
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