When Ashley Jong opened the email saying she’d been awarded a prestigious fellowship, she could hardly believe it.

“I thought there was a mistake,” she laughed. “I didn’t think I could get this.”

The third-year Honours Health Sciences student will be travelling to the University of Washington for her winter semester for her Killam Fellowship.

The fellowship program, administered through Fulbright Canada, gives undergraduate students in Canada and the U.S. the opportunity for cross-border academic exchanges.

“I originally applied because I was interested in studying in the U.S., but now that I’m thinking about it, it might’ve been more to see just how far I can take myself, or what I could be capable of achieving within the unknown,” Jong says.

In her research endeavours, Jong has previously collaborated with American hospitals, which helped her recognize just how different their health-care system is from Canada’s. In her application, Jong emphasized a desire to better learn about it so she can navigate those differences.

“This knowledge disparity has been something I’ve long desired to elucidate for myself,” says Jong, who hopes the U.S. experience will inform her understanding of inclusivity in her research and future work in the health sciences. “It’s a privilege I hope to equip to its fullest.”

Jong, who is specializing in child health, has been interested in the clinical aspects of medicine for a long time, but is also drawn towards research.

“I used to think there would be an end goal for me, but I realize just how many things I want to do in this one life I have,” Jong says. “I don’t wish to narrow my growth to a finite endpoint. I’m just seeing where the world takes me, and it seems like, for now, it’s taking me to the U.S.”

While the fellowship offers a unique opportunity for learning, it also presents Jong with a chance to explore a part of the world she’s never seen. This will be her first time visiting the west coast, and she’s hoping to make the most of it.

“I want to explore the country, and not just limit myself to Seattle,” Jong says. “There are so many landmarks I want to see and places to hike, such as the Grand Canyon, or to ski with friends at Aspen in Colorado.”

In addition to a semester abroad, recipients of the Killam Fellowship receive a cash award of US$6,000.

McMaster is one of the Canadian institutions that welcomes students from the U.S. for study through the Killam Fellowship.