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
BREAKING Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
AstraZeneca says it will withdraw COVID-19 vaccine globally as demand dips
AstraZeneca said on Tuesday it had initiated the worldwide withdrawal of its COVID-19 vaccine due to a 'surplus of available updated vaccines' since the pandemic.
'Summer of discontent': Federal unions vow to fight new 3-day a week office mandate
Federal unions are launching legal challenges and encouraging public sector workers to file "tens of thousands" of grievances over the new mandate requiring federal workers to return to the office at least three days a week in the fall.
Toronto police seek suspect vehicle after security guard shot outside Drake's mansion
Toronto police are seeking help from the public as they continue to investigate a shooting that seriously injured a security guard outside rapper Drake's mansion.
'Ozempic babies': Reports of surprise pregnancies raise new questions about weight loss drugs
Numerous women have shared stories of 'Ozempic babies' on social media. But the joy some experience in discovering pregnancies may come with anxiety about the unknowns.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Seafood, eat food: Calgary Stampede releases Midway menu
The Calgary Stampede has released its menu of sweet, salty and spicy treats available on the Midway for the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.
Boy Scouts of America is rebranding. Here's why they've changed their name
After more than a century, Boy Scouts of America is rebranding as Scouting America, another major shakeup for an organization that once proudly resisted change.
These snakes not only fake their own deaths, they use gory special effects to do it
Awards season may be over for human actors this year, but there’s no rest for some of nature’s most audacious thespians.