Havergal College Grad Profile 2018

Osuare Atafo

Selina Chow

Emma George

Brown University  HUMANITIES

University of British Columbia  SCIENCES

McMaster University  HEALTH SCIENCES

As the Boarding Prefect in her graduating year, Osuare moved from Milton, Ontario, to Havergal’s Boarding School in Grade 9. “It was a big change for me, coming from a small town. I didn’t know what to expect, but over the years being a Boarder has helped me become more self-aware and independent,” she says. During her four years at Havergal, Osuare was a member of the Field Hockey and Track & Field teams as well as the Pre-Med and HOSA-Future Health Professionals clubs. As Boarding Prefect, she worked with the Junior Dons to make the Boarding School a fun and comfortable home- away-from-home. In her spare time, she worked on the Lemonade Stand initiative at the Holland-Bloorview Kids Hospital Foundation. With a dream of becoming a doctor one day, Osuare is currently studying science at the University of British Columbia. “Everyone wants to have an impact in the world. I want to reach out and help people who are marginalized and less fortunate.”

Joining Havergal in Grade 1, Selina discovered her love of science and interest in medicine at an early age. During her secondary school years, she served as a research assistant at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in the fields of oncology and geriatrics. Having published 17 manuscripts and 11 book chapters in peer-reviewed medical journals, Selina also worked with a geriatrician at Sunnybrook to provide recommendations to the Canadian government for the national dementia strategy. She shared her passion for patient care with her peers at Havergal by establishing the Dementia Awareness Program, where students volunteer at a nursing facility and build intergenerational relationships with individuals with dementia. In 2015, Selina co-founded the Dignity for All program at Havergal College and Crescent School, aimed at helping newly arrived refugees from Syria. In addition to these activities, she led Havergal’s Cancer Education Group and Pre-Medicine Club, and was also a member of several co-curricular groups at school, including the Grenoble Homework Club, House Executive, Arts Council, Community Council, the Badminton team and the Orchestra, in which she played First Violin. Selina is currently studying in the Honours Health Sciences program at McMaster University, where she hopes to pursue a career in medicine.

With a passion for music, composition and writing, Emma was attracted to Havergal’s Music program and ensemble opportunities. As a new student in Grade 7, she immediately found her place in the Middle School Choir and was involved in various choirs, bands and orchestras throughout her time at the school, culminating in a position as Choir Head in her graduating year. Her talent and interests led her to Brown University, where she is focusing her studies on music composition, history and literature. “My favourite courses at Havergal were history, literature and the classics: subjects that blend history and art together to shed light on various eras,” she explains. Outside of the classroom, Emma supported her other passion for physics by volunteering at the David Dunlap Observatory, an astronomical observatory and research facility. A true academic, she feels that Havergal has provided her with a strong foundation of knowledge for her to pursue her dreams. “I’m looking forward to distilling down my true passions in the Humanities and continuing to dive deep into my fields of interest.”