Ottawa girl set to become the youngest university graduate in Canadian history
Anthaea-Grace Patricia Dennis is not your typical 12-year-old.
She is a child prodigy who's about to become the youngest Canadian to ever graduate from university.
On Saturday, Patricia Dennis will walk across the University of Ottawa stage in her cap and gown and accept a bachelor's degree in biomedical science.
She started the program when she was nine, at a time when most of her peers were playing games at recess.
So how is this wunderkind feeling about the big day?
"I'm going to be proud. I'm going to hope I don't fall off the stage," Patricia Dennis said in an interview.
"I'm going to be happy for myself too, not just for other people. I am proud of myself for getting to this point, despite all the hurdles and blocks that there have been for a person like me."
Perhaps no one will be more proud or excited than her biggest supporter, her mom Johanna Dennis.
Dennis said she realized her daughter was special when she was around two-and-a-half years old. She has felt so ever since.
The pair have a close bond.
Dennis was a single mother while she built her own academic career. After obtaining a number of degrees, she's now a law professor and has been instrumental in her daughter's education.
"I feel like part of why I'm going to the convocation and walking across the stage is for her own benefit to say, `Thank you for being there for me.' I think that's really the main purpose of the graduation in the first place," said Patricia Dennis.
"She's always there for me whenever I need her to be there."
Being a preteen in an intensive university program has come with a unique set of challenges. Patricia Dennis has had to deal with people's preconceived notions and expectations about how she is going to look, talk and act based on her age.
"My advice for people who are also young, gifted, smart, talented -- don't let other people's expectations bring you down," she said.
"That's been a major obstacle for me everywhere I go."
She also wants to inspire other intelligent and ambitious children.
"I'm very motivated by the fact that I can be the first (to do) something. You know, being able to show other young, gifted and talented people that something like this is possible, that you can get through these roadblocks, has always been something that I've always wanted to do," she said.
The highlight of her university career so far was completing a 40-page thesis on the relationship functional activity in the cerebellum -- the part of the brain responsible for co-ordinating balance and movement -- and handedness.
The paper concluded that connectivity between the brain and hand is significantly different for people who are right-handed versus those who are left-handed.
After researching the topic for around a year, Patricia Dennis presented her findings at the Ottawa-Carleton Institute of Biology Symposium.
"I can now call myself a researcher," she said. "There are people showing interest in what I'm doing, and I feel like the master of the cerebellum."
When she's not researching or writing about the brain, Patricia Dennis is a "very good" violinist, her mom said.
She also loves playing with her cats and binge-watching TV shows with her family.
After a well-earned break from her studies over the summer, Patricia Dennis is pursuing postgraduate school.
Her top three candidates are McGill University, the University of Toronto and the Illinois Institute of Technology, and she's interested in continuing her research on functional activity in the cerebellum.
"I'll probably pick it back up when I have my own lab, and I can get people to also do it with me, because I'll be in charge," she said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 9, 2023.
----
This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Solar storm puts on brilliant light show across the globe, but no serious problems reported
A powerful solar storm put on an amazing skyward light show across the globe overnight but has caused what appeared to be only minor disruptions to the electric power grid, communications and satellite positioning systems.
'It was violent': Police tear down U of A pro-Palestinian encampment Saturday morning
Multiple people at the protest camp torn down at the University of Alberta campus Saturday say police's actions against protesters were "violent" and "disproportionate."
'I am angry': Alberta farmers will continue fight over world class motorsport resort
The rolling hills leading to the hamlet of Rosebud are dotted with sprawling farms and cattle pastures -- and a sign sporting a simple message: No Race Track.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Potentially toxic chemicals hide in our drinking water and countless household objects, and they're not going anywhere
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
Suspect sought after fatal slashing in downtown Toronto
Police are searching for a suspect in a homicide investigation after a man was slashed in downtown Toronto on Sunday.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
'Increased fire activity' expected for Fort Nelson, B.C., blaze
A wildfire near Fort Nelson, B.C., that forced thousands to flee their homes grew almost 800 hectares overnight Saturday, according to officials.
Blinken delivers some of the strongest U.S. public criticism of Israel's conduct of the war in Gaza
Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday delivered some of the Biden administration's strongest public criticism yet of Israel's conduct of the war in Gaza, saying Israeli tactics have meant "a horrible loss of life of innocent civilians" but failed to neutralize Hamas leaders and fighters and could drive a lasting insurgency.