J. Clarke Richardson Collegiate is full to the brim with extraordinary students with many different passions. The staff at Eye on the Storm has decided that these students deserve to be recognized for their hard work and talent. Explore the lives of 10 exceptional students that are profiled here as part of our series: Trending Ten. Get ready to be inspired!
Grace Zhu is one of the most distinguished students at J. Clarke. She is a grade 12 student, involved in a variety of clubs and other leadership roles. She is passionate about helping other students achieve ultimate success! They have not only worked hard, but she is also a prime example of hard work at its finest.
– Editor
Starting off, what colour best describes you?
Ok, this might sound edgy but I like the colour black. The reason it because, black is like all the colours combined together. I feel like that represents me, because I find it hard to dedicate myself into one category, so I guess I’m like an all rounder! All the colours are good, so I’ll like to dabble in each.
Moving on, Tell me about Yourself!
[Laughs] As you know, I go to J.Clarke, I know it’s kind of hard to guess. I’m currently in Grade 12. My birthday is on November 24. Some things I’m into are painting, arts and crafts. I like to sculpt, and embroidery, it takes my mind off of the stress of school. I took art throughout my high school years, except for grade 9, because I took music. For me, art is more of a relaxation as a side hobby thing. For those you want to go into art, then go for it.
Anything Else?
My favourite food is sushi. Sushi is good. It’s really good.
Furthermore, what are you known for? Clubs?
Clubs wise, I’m part of the Executive Team for newspaper club. I’m pretty involved in GSA for advertisement and marketing. And for Student Government, it’s for Marketing Minister. I make graphics and posters, and I also keep track of the JCR Student Government’s Instagram Page. In the previous years, I’ve been a part of the Student Government Grade Reps, except for Grade 10, because I was online.
Currently, I’m the leader of ECO Club, and we just had our Wetland trip. I think the Grade 9s and 10s will eventually go there for a field trip for their science classes. I remember when I went in Grade 9. And Also, I am now the sole leader of Mental Health Club, but we are planning for a new project where we hand out self care bags for exams again, like we did this last semester. Last time we ran out quickly, so I’m hoping to get more.
Wow this amazing! – Editor
What are your plans for Post – Secondary?
For Post Secondary, I decided to go to McMaster for Health Science. This path was not expected, it kind of came out of nowhere. I originally planned to go to UofT, for Life Science. My reason being, I wanted to go into research and UofT, is a research centred University. Also the culture of Downtown is filled with people and opportunities. My mom also told me to apply everywhere, so I did.
Life Science at McMaster is one of the hardest programs in Canada. It has around 40% of a success rate for the students going into Med School, I’m pretty sure. The grade requirements are high as well, like 90% or higher to even be considered. Grades and Sup – apps are weighed equally. So if you have a 99% average, but you don’t have good sup -apps, then they will not consider you. So, I got in, and it derailed my plan for UofT. Now I’m going to McMaster for Health Science, but I’m not sure if I want to into the Doctor pathway or research, so I’ll see where it takes me.
What are your Proudest accomplishments?
*Laughs
I would say that getting into McMaster is my proudest accomplishment. I was expecting, something different. It came as a surprise, and I’m proud of myself. Another thing that I am proud of is, when I came here originally, I didn’t know any English, as I am from China. The kids weren’t great at my elementary school, and were not kind to non-English speakers. Getting to where I am now, by having friends, and building a community is wonderful.
A lot of children now are limited because of the language barrier, so language help teachers are important. When I was in elementary school, there was this teacher dedicated to helping you learn English, but I haven’t seen anything like that here. I think there is something, but it’s not enough. Teachers have more research and power to help students. It would be great to see more of that!
What inspires you? Quote
There is always this one that I go back to, it’s pretty simple. The quote is, “Everything has a Solution.” It helps me and motivates me every time I run into an obstacle. If I find myself stuck, then I know that I can always move past that barrier. It reminds that no matter how long it takes, there is always going to be a solution. You will go past that barrier one day. It’s worth putting in the effort.
Lastly, this is a big question, do you prefer pinaapple on pizza?
Yes. No hesitation there.
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https://www.instagram.com/jcrstorm/
