Read our 2023–24 Strategy Report, outlining Branksome's progress across our six strategic priorities.
Meet Katharine McWhirter O'Flaherty
Direct Entry to Medical School
With plans to become a pediatrician and potentially specialize in pediatric oncology, Katharine is heading to a direct-entry medical school at the University of St. Andrews, in Scotland—as the only Canadian student to win the prestigious McEuen Scholarship.
I’ve always loved working with kids,” she says. “And I can only imagine how difficult it is for those who spend most of their formative years in hospital.”
Building on her experience as a camp counsellor, Katharine balanced the demands of her IB studies with volunteer work at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital and as club head for Branksome’s partnership with Sunny View Public School, which serves students with significant medical, physical, cognitive and behavioural complexities.
Katharine credits Branksome Hall for pushing her to take risks and give it her all—including inspiring her to push past her initial fear of blood and needles to pursue a career in medicine.
Branksome also instilled in her the importance of making connections in her community and giving back. On top of her other commitments, she developed public health campaigns in collaboration with Nigerian public health officials through the Washington-based Leadership Initiatives, participated in the American Sign Language club and practiced competitive dance.
In the summer after graduation, she volunteered at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), before setting off to become a pediatrician herself.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT
We wish to acknowledge this land on which Branksome operates. For thousands of years, it has been the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and most recently, the Mississaugas of the Credit River. Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous peoples from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work and go to school on this land.
Setting the new standard for girls' education everywhere takes collective action. From all of us.
