Tim Collins/B次元官网网址 staff

Jordyn Heal is a very special young lady.

A recent graduate of StellyB次元官网网址檚 Secondary School, Heal was recently awarded a scholarship through the Terry Fox Humanitarian Award Program, a scholarship that she admits was critical to her goal of becoming a doctor and working in third world countries to help others.

ItB次元官网网址檚 a fitting award for Heal, whose personal perspective on life has always had, at itB次元官网网址檚 base, a desire to excel and to use her gifts to help others.

B次元官网网址淢y aunt is a doctor in southern California and when I was 16 I had the opportunity to shadow her for a month. I fell in love with medicine and decided it was a career I wanted to pursue,B次元官网网址� said Heal.

B次元官网网址淏ut this summer I travelled to India as part of the Global Perspectives program and that was a life-altering experience. I found myself amazed at the incredible need of the people there and the way it combined with a sense of appreciation. I realized I could continue to do this kind of work even after I become a doctor, working with groups like Doctors Without Borders.B次元官网网址�

HealB次元官网网址檚 dreams suffered a bit of a setback when, after returning to Canada, she was required to travel to QueenB次元官网网址檚 University for an interview for the schoolB次元官网网址檚 QuARMS program, the universityB次元官网网址檚 accelerated route to medical school. Although HealB次元官网网址檚 perfect grade point average had earned her consideration for the program, she was not successful at securing one of the 10 slots for the program.

B次元官网网址淚 think I didnB次元官网网址檛 do very well in that interview because IB次元官网网址檇 just come back from India and my perspectives had changed about life. My answers were more centered on what doctors should be doing to address problems in the world and I donB次元官网网址檛 think it was really what they were looking for,B次元官网网址� explained Heal.

Disappointed at that setback, and contemplating how she was going to be able to fund her university studies, she returned home to discover she was under consideration for the Terry Fox scholarship.

B次元官网网址淚t was amazing, really. I went over to Vancouver and was interviewed by four previous Terry Fox scholars, and I found that, this time around, my new perspective on life actually helped me,B次元官网网址� she said.

Examining the description of the Terry Fox AwardB次元官网网址檚 mandate, itB次元官网网址檚 easy to see why. The award strives to recognize the B次元官网网址渃ourage, humanitarianism, service and compassion which Terry Fox embodied.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淭his award has made things so much easier. IB次元官网网址檇 been worried about how I was going to pay the $20,000 a year I needed for school and now I can actually see doing it,B次元官网网址� said Heal, adding that the $28,000 Terry Fox award will be added to the $12,000 scholarship sheB次元官网网址檚 been offered by McGill University and an additional $15,000 scholarship she had been awarded by the Fairfax Finn Holdings scholarship to fund her next four years of schooling.

Of course, given HealB次元官网网址檚 nature, she is not relying simply on scholarships. She still works two jobs, six days a week, to help fund her dreams.

B次元官网网址淭he best part of the Terry Fox Award is that IB次元官网网址檓 assigned a mentor from the Award alumni to help me through the next few years. ThatB次元官网网址檚 incredibly valuable all on its own,B次元官网网址� said Heal.

Heal leaves for McGill University on August 22 to start on her undergraduate degree. She plans to enroll in the schoolB次元官网网址檚 arts and science program, with a double major in molecular biology and international development.