Excellence in certain subjects came easily to Milena—Math, for example—whereas others, like English, called for effort, consistency and supportive teachers. Now, she’s one of 275 high school students headed to Queen’s Life Sciences and Biochemistry program, armed with lab skills, leadership bona fides, and the quiet confidence that comes from a truly well-rounded education.
You’ve always been a strong Math and Science student—tell us about your experience across different STEM courses. I’ve always had more of a math brain, but once I started taking Biology and Chemistry courses in Grade 11 and 12, I really connected with organic chemistry. Ms. Li has been an influential teacher, even though I only had her this year—if I don’t understand something, she’ll address it immediately. She’ll help you figure it out and offer different questions and examples.
I wasn’t used to Physics; I struggled with optics in Grade 10 and then kinematics in Grade 11. I was confused and sometimes even uncomfortable, but Mr. Zhao spent a lot of time outside class to help me break down the different steps. You really have to understand what you’re doing and not just memorize. It took a lot of work and effort to actually achieve the grades that I wanted, and his support was very, very helpful to my success.
The titration labs and the dissection labs were also fun. I feel like throughout my time here, I’ve learned a lot more about science and how deep my interest runs in these fields. I’m thinking about a career in medicine—I really want to be a pediatrician, but I’m also considering dentistry.
What’s been your biggest area of academic growth? In my previous elementary school, we didn’t do much writing, so I needed a lot of help when I joined Hudson—both my Grade 7 and 8 teachers helped me to build a really strong foundation in English. The workshops and one-on-one time that I spent with them to work on my academic writing really benefited me. Now I can write an essay and feel satisfied with my skills. I was always more into math than the humanities, and that’s still true, but I also enjoy English a lot more than I used to. Once you kind of learn how to do something properly, it becomes a lot more fun.
What clubs and activities were you most involved in? Justice League has been my biggest commitment because I started in Grade 9 and continued all the way through Grade 12. I became the Treasurer and learned how to manage money from fundraising. I was always really happy to participate with my friends in big events that supported different causes. It was very meaningful to organize bake sales and dress-down days and see that we can actually make a difference.
Another student and I were Cooking Club prefects; we had a meeting once a month to choose a food item, a dessert item and a drink—then we’d all cook together, sometimes over two separate days, and eat everything for lunch, almost like a family meal together.
The ambassador program taught me about the school as a whole and helped me with my presentation skills—learning how to talk to people in a certain way, adapt to different people, and find what really interests them. As a Lead Ambassador, I also trained new ambassadors; I think it’s a great way for people in the school to connect across grade levels. It’s one of the things I like most about a smaller school. I like knowing all the faces when I walk in the hallway, and I’ve built a community at Hudson.
You have a relatively long commute to school. What advice do you have for students spending time on transit? Honestly, the hardest part of commuting is getting up. As long as you set your alarm and have enough time to prepare without rushing, you’ll be completely fine. The actual commute is easy—it’s kind of relaxing. There is some trial and error with the bus and timing your arrival at school; sometimes I’ll leave a little bit later, sometimes a little bit earlier. But when you find the perfect routine, it’s simple.
What was the postsecondary application process like for you? I didn’t start thinking about university until the end of Grade 11, when we had our first guidance workshop. That was a good opportunity to focus—I was sort of pushing it away at first, because it’s stressful and there’s the fear of being rejected from universities you want to attend. But after more guidance workshops, I started to understand where I wanted to apply based on my interests. I took ideas and suggestions from my friends; a friend actually told me about Queen’s Life Sciences and Biochemistry. I researched the program online and liked that it has a lot of lab time. Guidance meetings were also helpful because she helped me a lot with how to approach the questions and submit a good application.
What are you most looking forward to next year? I’m most excited for the lab time and expanding my science knowledge. It’s a little scary, but I think it will be a lot of fun. I’ve been well prepared for this moment.
If you had to describe your high school experience in one word, what would that word be? I would say balanced. I’ve gotten a good education and made a lot of new friends, enjoyed different activities and had fun times. And overall, I didn’t find managing all of these things difficult—I had a very well-balanced high school experience.
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