Jeff Chen, a Maple Ridge secondary alumni, received a Governor General medal for his undergraduate at the Simon Fraser University.
Chen studied bio-medical physiology and earned himself the top GPA in his graduating class, which was 4.32 out of a possible 4.33. Chen said that means he received an A-plus in every course except one.
Currently, Chen is in his third year of medical school at the University of British Columbia. He recently finished his undergrad at SFU because he was admitted into medical school early, meaning he could work towards an undergraduate at SFU while studying at UBC.
After medical school, Chen hopes to work as a pediatrician or family doctor. Chen said being a doctor is a life-long goal of his.
“I had a positive experience with my family doctor in Maple Ridge and he made me feel cared for.”
Chen immigrated to Canada from Taiwan when he was four years old. Chen’s experience with his family doctor gave him the idea to pursue his own career.
“Being an immigrant and coming from Taiwan, you feel like a lot of things are inaccessible to you, especially with the language barrier as a kid. I really liked the idea that everyone, regardless of where they come from or what standing they have, they all have access to health care,” said Chen.
As a high school student at MRSS, Chen won a Governor General award and was the highest academic achiever of all time.
During his years at SFU, Chen spent time working in a research lab, giving speeches to incoming SFU classes, and volunteering with the campus elementary school.
His hard work ethic stems from his childhood dream of pursuing a medical career.
“I knew when I was a kid that was what I wanted, so I’ve just been working through high school and undergrad to reach that goal.”