Elena Domazetoska had set her sights on studying Life Sciences at McMaster before she was even halfway through high school.

By Grade 10, she had researched other universities, but never seriously considered any other school, or for that matter, any other program. A visit to campus in Grade 11 cemented her determination to study at McMaster, and graduating from Ajax High School with a 93 per cent average helped to assure her entry to the popular program.

Moving to Hamilton, Domazetoska plunged into university life – both her schoolwork and extracurricular engagement, volunteering with the Wellness Outreach Unit through the Student Success Leader program. She loved helping other students maximize their health and well-being. In the process, she learned more about herself while building new skills as a team member and leader. 

“That really helped me find a place where I belonged in the McMaster community,” she remembered in a conversation leading up to her June 16 Convocation.

Domazetoska, who moved to Canada from Macedonia at age 5, describes her McMaster experience as “extremely positive,” but is quick to point out it was not all easy for her, especially adjusting to a new life away from home.

Last year, when she was leading some first-year students on a fall hike through the trails around Cootes Paradise, she realized how much she had grown and how much she could offer incoming students who were experiencing the same loneliness she remembers after moving away from home.

“I think in university, you have a lot of amazing experiences and some not-so-great experiences, but all of them really are learning opportunities,” she says. “These experiences really shaped me into the person I am. I know it sounds cliché, but it’s true.”

All the while, Domazetoska progressed well in her studies and built her particular passion for lab work.

Last year, she designed a prototype to engage students more deeply in understanding genetics by having them study their own personal genomes, which she gathered and processed. The pilot project was a success, driving students to learn more about genetic testing and technology by learning more about themselves.

Domazetoska has already started work on a graduate degree in Biotechnology at the University of Toronto, and is planning to pursue a career in the pharmaceutical industry.

“If I could give some advice, it would be to stay motivated,” she says. “Don’t be discouraged. It’s all part of the process.”