A University of Toronto student is making history Tuesday as the first black woman to give the Faculty of Medicine’s valedictorian speech, and the first woman to do so in 14 years.
Chika Oriuwa, the child of Nigerian immigrants, always knew she wanted to be a physician but didn’t have many examples to look up to.Oriuwa said she felt like she would have to work harder than her peers to become a doctor when she began her studies at the University of Toronto four years ago – the only black student in a class of nearly 260 medical students.
Her experiences as a young black student of medicine also pushed her to activism, hoping she could instigate changes that would diversify the medical school student body and make it better for future black students to study. “When I see that so many students are now coming into the University of Toronto in the class of 2024, it brings my heart so much joy,” she said.“On social media, I've had individuals tell me that I didn't deserve to be valedictorian, that me being valedictorian was simply a political move on behalf of the institution,” Oriuwa said. protesting police violence against black citizens spurred by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
“That’s why it’s important for me specifically to align myself with the community, especially in times of civil unrest,” she explained.
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