Thirst for knowledge leads to med school

Beleznay

Being accepted into medical school is an accomplishment for any scholar, but for Katie Beleznay the achievement is even more impressive.

At barely 21, Beleznay, the recipient of multiple awards including the UVic Excellence Scholarship, the Charles Humphrey Memorial Scholarship and two NSERC undergraduate student research awards, will be among the youngest in UBC’s medical program next fall.

Such advanced success is nothing new to the chemistry graduate who finishes her studies at UVic with an 8.83 GPA. Beleznay’s academic career began with great aplomb after she was advised to skip Grade 1. She’s maintained high academic standing ever since.

"I’ve always had a strong desire to learn and to push myself to see results," she says. "I’m always thinking—is there something further I can do, can I be more involved, can I try something new?"

This thirst for knowledge guided Beleznay away from her original academic focus of physics and biology toward chemistry, an approach she hopes will help her medical studies. She’s already put this into practice: she’s contributed to ongoing biomedical chemistry research at UVic and last summer she joined a photochemistry research project at McMaster University.

Beleznay is also an active volunteer. She’s helped with patient support at the BC Cancer Clinic, was an executive member of the chemistry students’ society and continues to assist doctors at the Island Sexual Health Society.

Although Beleznay is eager for the fast-paced curriculum promised by her program next year, moving to the big city will be a new experience for the island-raised graduate.

"I grew up on a full-fledged farm in Sayward, so Vancouver will be quite a change," she says. "I’m an experienced trail and draft horse rider, but downtown rush hour traffic—that’s a whole other world to me!"