Top scholar at St. Michael loves to learn

July 22, 2016 · 0 Comments

28-Kerrigan - 5.5 By Bill Rea
Bronte Kerrigan has a flair for sciences, and that’s come in handy.
Among other things, it enabled her to graduate at the top of her class this year from St. Michael Catholic Secondary School in Bolton. Her average coming out of Grade 12 was 95 per cent.
Most of my courses were science and math, and that’s what I love,” she said.
She also had plenty of praise for her teachers, who were able to keep the students engaged.
“They all love what they teach, and they passed that onto us,” she observed.
Her course load this year included biology, chemistry, calculus, advanced functions, accounting, English and religion. She had also taken a summer course in ancient civilizations in Greece last year, and she emerged from that with a 97 per cent average.
She said she was a little surprised to have finished at the top of her class.
“There are a lot of very intelligent people at St. Mike’s,” she declared, adding it made for some healthy competition.
Kerrigan, 18, said constant effort is part of the key to her academic success
“I try to do the best I can,” she said. “School’s always been very important. I genuinely love learning. There’s just so much to learn.”
Despite that, she found time for activities outside the classroom, including some intermural sports. Kerrigan was also on the student council, and she said that was a great experience.
“It was definitely the best choice I made,” she said.
Kerrigan is going to be attending the University of Guelph next year, planning to study bio medical science.
“It was actually a tough decision,” she said, commenting the program at Guelph is a great one with plenty of options.
“It’s a beautiful campus,” she added.
Kerrigan’s long-range goal is to go to dental school, and eventually to be an orthodontist.
“When I had my experience with braces, I thought it was amazing what they could do,” she commented.
She added it will take some time to reach that goal, as she will need four years of undergraduate study, then four years of dental school and a couple of years of practice before she can specialize.
For students who are just starting high school, Kerrigan has some advice.
“Get involved,” she said. “Be excited about high school. It really does fly by.”
“There’s really something for everyone,” she added.
She also urged students to listen to the advice of their teachers.
“They’re definitely a great tool,” she declared, adding a lot of people don’t take advantage of them.