A Saanich teenager has proven himself as one of Canada's highest achieving students and has earned a place at the University of Cambridge on a full scholarship.
Keiler Totz, a Grade 12 student at St. Michaels University School is one of two high school students in the country selected for a $150,000 Blyth Cambridge Commonwealth Trust Scholarship.
He received the news earlier this month after having completed a rigorous application process, which culminated in an intense interview last November in Toronto before a panel of judges, including the head of admissions for the highly-regarded U.K. university. By the time he knew he had risen to the top of the 34 students shortlisted nationally, he was sold on the experience abroad.
B次元官网网址淭he more, and more I learned about the Cambridge environment, the more I knew it would be the right place,B次元官网网址� Keiler said. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e always been really academically driven, studied really hard and trying to get the best grades and learn enough as possible. It looks absolutely amazing.B次元官网网址�
Keiler hopes to enter the field of engineering, then biomedical engineering, ultimately ending with a career as a research scientist, although still 17, his plans could change.
B次元官网网址淚 always thought heB次元官网网址檇 be getting an athletic scholarship,B次元官网网址� remarked KeilerB次元官网网址檚 mother, Suzanne. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 one of the most prestigious (scholarships) there is, almost like a needle in a haystack.B次元官网网址�
Keiler attributes his love for physics to his teacher, Richard Curry, himself a University of Cambridge alumnus. Curry, also St. MichaelsB次元官网网址� rowing coach, has encouraged Keiler to trade in his basketball for a seat in a skull.
Keiler hasnB次元官网网址檛 spent too much time contemplating his academic career, however, instead participating in soccer, regularly volunteering at the Royal Jubliee Hospital and completing 11 advanced placement courses prior to graduation, including a first-year math course at the University of Victoria.
Keiler also spent last summer conducting cancer research on an internship with the B.C. Cancer Agency. He worked on staining tumour tissues.
B次元官网网址淵ouB次元官网网址檙e just thrown in there and expected to work, but once you get the grasp of the lab, itB次元官网网址檚 an amazing feeling,B次元官网网址� Keiler said.
KeilerB次元官网网址檚 father Karlheinz has watched his son excel academically throughout life B次元官网网址� including picking up Mandarin while the family lived in Singapore B次元官网网址� and doesnB次元官网网址檛 describe the scholarship as much of a surprise.
B次元官网网址淭here were two in all of Canada chosen for his age, so that shows that the child is quite bright,B次元官网网址� he said.
Keiler was featured in the B次元官网网址 in 2011 when he attended Deep River Science Academy at the Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories in Ontario.
As the only student from Greater Victoria admitted at the time, he worked on a remote control vehicle to measure ambient radiation levels and record internal visual conditions inside buildings slated to be decommissioned. He hopes to return to the academy this summer as a tutor, a role his mom once held during her first year of university.
B次元官网网址淗eB次元官网网址檚 absolutely in heaven right now,B次元官网网址� Suzanne said.
nnorth@saanichnews.com
