Tonight's (14/4) guest speaker at our online Zoom meeting was Rotary National Science & Technology Forum alumni: Alex Calder.
The Petone Rotary Club sponsored Alex to attend the forum back in 2016. He was head boy at Hutt Valley High School and then headed to University of Otago to study Health Sciences.
Alex applied for Medicine, but his grades weren't quite high enough after his first year of Health Sciences. After re-evaluation he decided to study a Bio Medical Science degree as he was fascinated by human anatomy.
Alex found anatomy and physiology the most interesting during his last year of Bio Medical Science and graduated in December 2019. A week after graduation he was accepted into Medical School and is now in his second year studying towards his Bachelor of Medicine. 👨🏻⚕️🩺
Alex has a huge interest in public policy and is involved with the Otago University Medical Students Association exec and also on the New Zealand Medical Students' Association (NZMSA) ELM (Early Learning Medicine) as a representative advocating for second and third year students at the Otago Medical School. His interest lies particuarly in the area of mental well-being and also Māori and Pasifika students who are grossly under-represented in Medicine.
It is wonderful hearing about the ongoing successes of our local youth. We can't wait to hear about what the next chapter holds in store for you Alex!