Interview with Glenlyon Norfolk School Alum, Ella Chan
- Name
Ella Chan - University (major)
UBC (Pharmacology)
Ella graduated from Glenlyon Norfolk School in 2018. Her family was initially drawn to the school because of the IB program and the vast array of extracurriculars they offer. She enjoyed the welcoming, tight-knit community with small class sizes that allowed her to get lots of one-on-one attention. She felt the teachers at the school were supportive and passionate about helping each student succeed and grow their confidence and leadership skills. She appreciated the many opportunities at the school for students to get involved in international and local charities. Glenlyon Norfolk School’s strong science program influenced Ella’s desire to pursue a career in science. She now attends the University of British Columbia to study Pharmacology, with a minor in Immunology and Microbiology.
Highlights from the interview
Through the science fair program at Glenlyon Norfolk School, I was able to get my first experience with science research as well as science communication in a more professional setting, or semi professional setting in the context of a science fair. That definitely shaped my interest in wanting to pursue a scientific career.
At Glenlyon Norfolk School I was involved in the science fair program, in the school newspaper, and working as what was called the Ambassador Prefect. I arranged tours at a school and connected new students to existing students to try and foster a sense of community.
My family originally lived in Singapore When we were making the transition over to Victoria, because Glenlyon Norfolk School was an IB school, we were initially drawn to it. It also has a lot of good programs, such as the science fair program. We were interested in both the extracurriculars that were available, as well as the IB program that it has.
The sense of community at Glenlyon Norfolk School was really important for me, and all of the teachers are really supportive.
The solid science fair program and the IB program is something that Glenlyon Norfolk School has that a lot of other schools don't have.
Glenlyon Norfolk School is exciting because there's always a lot of stuff happening. There are a lot of extracurriculars and a lot of opportunities and classes to work on projects, and there's always something going on.
Glenlyon Norfolk School is community-oriented. You know everybody in your grade. I think my graduating class was around 70 students, so the school was quite a small, close-knit community.
Every teacher at Glenlyon Norfolk School was passionate about ensuring that all of their students succeeded. That's something that I noticed every day.
In the later years of Glenlyon Norfolk School, when I was in the IB program, we had small cohorts for each class. The community within those classes was really strong, and the teachers were passionate about making sure that every student succeeded in those classes.
For a relatively small school, there's still a lot of things happening at Glenlyon Norfolk School. There are a lot of clubs, opportunities, and extracurriculars, despite having those smaller classes.
Glenlyon Norfolk School is connected to many outreach programs for students to get involved in international and local charities and projects.
Glenlyon Norfolk School pushed me out of my comfort zone in public speaking and the leadership opportunities that I took on in the different clubs I participated in. Glenlyon Norfolk School pushed me to be more outgoing and confident in my academics and extracurricular leadership roles.
I participated in the science fair when I was in Grade 11 at Glenlyon Norfolk School. We were able to go to the Canada-wide science fair and present our projects there.
Comparing my high school experience at Glenlyon Norfolk School to my university peers' high school experiences, I saw that I had a lot more opportunity to get involved in research, especially because I'm in a science program.
The sense of community is really important, especially because Glenlyon Norfolk School is a smaller school. You have that attention from all the teachers as well. Glenlyon Norfolk School has a lot of things that students can get involved in, and there's a good variety.
I was involved with the Glenlyon Norfolk School newspaper. We also had a journalism club, an art club, band, and various sports.
Glenlyon Norfolk School is a welcoming community where students can easily ask for help from their teachers, as well as their classmates.
