Laurier’s Young Alumna of the Year award was created to recognize outstanding achievements by graduates 30 years of age or younger. “Young” is an appropriate descriptor for this year’s recipient, Michelle Gould (BSc ’12).
Michelle was accepted to Laurier’s Health Sciences program at the age of 15. She was then accepted to medical school at McMaster University at the age of 18. Now, at only 22 years old, Michelle is a first-year pediatric resident at Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto.
However, young is only a very small part of who Michelle is. Michelle has always worked to better society through her community service, volunteer work, leadership and research.
The award criteria for Young Alumna of the Year include proven success in academia, entrepreneurship, citizenship or philanthropy; personal contribution to the betterment of society; a source of pride for Laurier alumni, students, faculty and staff; and serves as an ambassador for Laurier and the Laurier community at large.
Michelle meets all of the criteria easily.
Former president of the Wilfrid Laurier University Alumni Association, Mark Henein (BBA ’04) presented the award to Michelle. He said, “She has given freely of her time to a variety of worthwhile organizations dedicated to improving the lives of students, peers, community members, patients and others at institutional, regional, and provincial levels… Michelle has been intensively involved with these organizations – she is never just a “member.” Michelle is a leader, a mentor, and a resource to all those around her.”
Since graduating from Laurier, Michelle has continued to excel both within and outside of academia. She has a special interest in pediatric gastrointestinal health and is studying celiac disease, a condition that affects approximately 1 in 100 Canadian children. She has studied one of the largest cohorts with pediatric celiac disease in North America, which will help to impact knowledge and practice related to this disease.
Her work has won her a Canadian Association of Gastroenterology (CAG) Scholarship and an invitation to attend the CAG Scholar's Program, which identifies medical trainees who show promise in the area of gastroenterology.
Michelle has also stayed connected to Laurier, speaking at events and recruiting new students.
“Choosing Laurier was the best decision I’ve ever made in my life,” she says. “Being part of the inaugural year of the Health Sciences program set me up to achieve the things I have since leaving Laurier. I hope that moving forward I continue to bring pride to Laurier and I intend on continuing to share my pride in Laurier with others... Coming back to speak at Laurier are some of the highlights of my year. It means so much.”