Posted on Nov. 14: Chancellor’s Gold Medal winner demonstrates passion for humanity

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/lai.roxanne.jpg” caption=”Roxanne Lai”]She spent a summer herding goats in Europe to improve her French. She travelled to Honduras to help children at an orphanage. She teaches music as a volunteer for a local community group and she has helped an international student with his English.

Next fall, the talented and accomplished fourth-year linguistics major heads to Queen's University to attend medical school.

Roxanne Lai, the winner of this year's Chancellor's Gold Medal, has a bright career and future ahead of her. Her resume reflects leadership and influence among her peers and within the broader community, and excellence in scholarship.

Lai says she's astounded to have won the medal. “I can't even take in the idea of it and the full university recognition that goes with it. I can think of a million people who deserve it more than me.”

The Chancellor's Medal is given to an undergraduate student in their final year of study who ranks highest in scholarship, leadership and influence.

What's particularly meaningful to Lai is that the people in her Faculty and program thought she was worthy enough to be nominated. “That means a lot to me.”

Lai applied to the medical program at Queen's last year (for the practice, she says), and didn't expect to be accepted. When she was, she asked to defer her attendance until September 2003 to complete the final year of her honours linguistics program. She graduates next spring.

School is important to her, she says, so she works for the grades. She finds time for the extracurricular activities (and travel) for the enjoyment they provide. “I think it's important to experience other things outside of school because they add an extra dimension to your life.”

The McMaster Scholar has also held the A.G. Alexander Travel Scholarship, the McMaster University Scholarship, and the McMaster Senate Scholarship. Her list of awards includes the Linguistics Prize, the Biology Book Award, and the French Government Book Award.

Through her involvement in campus, community and global projects, Lai has demonstrated a passion for humanity and humanitarian issues. Involved in McMaster's 2001 Peace Through Health Conference, Lai assisted with workshops which brought international peace workers together with students and professionals. As a member of the Student International Health Initiative, she worked with the Centre for Peace Studies on the development of a Peace-Building Through Health course. She travelled with the Global Youth Network to Honduras in May 2000 where she worked with Habitat for Humanity and the SOS Orphanage.

Lai has been a volunteer with the Hamilton Program for Schizophrenia, helping people with music and social skills and therapeutic interventions, and the Eating Disorders Program at Homewood Health Centre in Guelph, providing support to patients during meals and social times.

Lai plays the French horn for the McMaster Concert Band and is a TA for the Department of Modern Languages.

Lai also found time in her busy study and volunteer schedule to represent her peers as the student representative (2001-02) on the Humanities Curriculum Committee and for the Department of Modern Languages.