Vaishnavi Gopaul

Give a brief bio about yourself/your background/your history.

I was born on Mauritius island. I came to Canada at the age of 8. After arriving to Canada, I faced a lot of language difficulties since in Mauritius, I spoke Creole and French, however, the middle school I went to in Brandon only spoke English. This language barrier isolated me from other students. I started to feel lonely. This is when I developed a relationship with books. I love reading and this enhance my vocabulary allowing me to converse with my peers. Over the years, I became more confidence in speaking in English. I love starting conversations with people now, I never shy back from saying good morning or hello with a smile because it could make a positive difference in someone else’s day.

What education have you taken?

I have my high school diploma. I also completed my International Baccalaureate program in high school. It is an advanced program including an extended essay on a research topic. After high school, I started my journey in my undergraduate Bachelor of Science degree. I plan to complete a biomedical honours degree at BU.

How did you become interested in your field/area of study?

While researching topics for my extended essay, I became interesting in the on-going cancer research at Brandon University. I started reading Dr. Majumder’s past papers to learn more about her laboratory and gained more and more interest over the years. I was shocked when I learned about how a drop of blood could be used to diagnose cancer. This lead to my curiosity and interest cancer research.

What accomplishments are you most proud of?

Completing the International Baccalaureate (IB) program was a huge accomplishment since I had challenged myself to get through it. It is a tough program that is now removed from Neelin High School due to its rigor and negative impact on student’s mental health. However, I forced myself to time manage and find the balance in my life to not be completely engulfed by my studies and loss my identity. The IB program taught me to learn, regardless of how much I had to push through, I am proud I did not give up halfway.

I am also proud of being on the Dean’s honour list for my first two years in university. I am currently in my third year, and I hope to continue the trend.

Another accomplishment that I am proud of is becoming a part of the cancer research lab in high school and working in the lab during the summer after my first year. During my first couple of months in the lab, I felt like an imposter. I did not feel belonged due to my lack of experience. I am proud I continued learning and following my passion.

Where do you see yourself in the future? What do you hope to undertake or accomplish once you leave BU?

I see myself as a doctor in the future. I want to become an oncologist in the long run but there’s still a long way to go and barriers to cross. I plan to write my MCAT this summer and continue my journey in med school. However, I do not want to lose my connection with cancer research. Whenever possible, during summers and breaks, I hope to continue being part of the research lab.

What is your philosophy in life?

Spread so much positivity and happiness that you become the reason someone smiles today, believing in the goodness of humanity.

In one sentence, how will you #EmbraceEquity?

I will #EmbraceEquity by first acknowledging my own unconscious biases and then finding ways in which equity can be attained in the clubs that I am a part of, ensuring that everyone in the group is able to voice their ideas and opinions.

Nominator’s Comments:

Vaishnavi is an outstanding student in the Biology department. She started her research career as early as grade eleven when she reached me as an International Baccalaureate program student wanting to research breast cancer. Ever since she is working hard to understand the ‘complex breast cancer microenvironment’ and she has done a ‘Research Topics’ course with me. She has carried a full course load and maintained a good GPA and contributed to a scientific article as a co-author as a second-year undergraduate student. Vaishnavi is a very determined and hard-working student. She will be completing her Honours thesis project on the same project and wants to pursue a career in medicine. I have no doubt that Vaishnavi will be an exceptional health professional. She prepared herself for this with extensive community service. She is a student leader of BU’s Bio-Cub and STEM program. During the COVID-19 infection while we all stayed home to reduce the virus spread; even during high infection waves, Vaishnavi worked round the clock as a pharmacist assistant and kept our community updated with vaccine information and all services possible. She will go beyond her ability to help people, and that’s what makes her exceptional. Vaishnavi is a very focused, ambitious, and dedicated student and an emerging research scholar with immense potential. I am proud to nominate Ms. Vaishnavi L. Gopaul for this award.