Columbia International College

Stephanie Luk (Mississauga, Ontario)
Former school: Rick Hansen (Public) Secondary School, Mississauga, Ontario
Accepted to:

• Western - Nursing
• Brock - Nursing ($2,500 scholarship)
• York - Nursing
• Ryerson - Nursing
• Ottawa - Nursing
• Windsor - Nursing

Looking for a Fresh Start

When anyone meets Top Achiever Stephanie Luk, they are immediately struck by her quiet demeanour. For a student who has managed to turn her life around in the 9 short months she has spent at Columbia, Luk is modest about her achievements. During her time at Columbia, Luk has been transformed from a young woman unsure about her future, to one who plans to dedicate her life to helping others, as a nurse.

Columbia Gave Her a Second Chance

In Luk’s final year at Rick Hansen Secondary School, a public school in Mississauga, she was uncertain about her future. She did not know what she wanted to study at university and her concentration wavered. Luk soon lost focus and her academic performance suffered as a result.

When Luk’s father, Ray, realized that his daughter’s grades had slipped, he wondered what the future would hold. “With only forty days to go before the new school year started she could not go to college or university. [I said to myself] where do we go from here? Do we give up?” says Mr. Luk. He knew that giving up was not an option and he began exploring different alternatives for his daughter. This was when he contacted Columbia to see if his daughter could be enrolled. He thought a disciplined, caring boarding environment could be just what his daughter needed to turn herself around.

A Turning Point

After a thorough examination of her case, Luk was admitted to the University Preparatory Program at Columbia in the Fall of 2009. Her father says coming to Columbia was a chance to start over and Luk agrees, “When I came to CIC I thought that it would be a new beginning and I worked extra hard until I graduated,” she says. The hard work paid off. When she completed the University Preparatory Program in May 2010, she had received admission offers to study nursing at some of Canada’s top universities. Luk will be attending the University of Western Ontario in the Fall of 2010 to study nursing.

If you ask Luk to what she attributes her success, she credits three things:

1. realizing that she had a second chance
2. the focussed environment at Columbia
3. the Total Care Education System®

A Mix of Care and Determination Yield Success

“I think it was a mix of help and determination that triggered the change. Once I came [to Columbia] I really started studying. I was more focussed [being at a boarding] school than I was at home,” she says, adding that, “the environment and the people [at Columbia] made the difference. My teachers were also really supportive.”

Thanks to her hard work and the support she found at Columbia, Luk’s grades went up by more than 10% in her first semester. Luk’s teachers were struck by her dedication as well as her determination and they were very happy with her academic performance.

“I believe attendance, attitude, motivation, and hard work are key to success in Chemistry. Many students want good marks without putting in a good effort. Stephanie maintained a strong effort through out,” says Luk’s University Preparatory Chemistry teacher Mr. Leonard Forte, “The factors that contributed to her success were: hard work, punctuality and good attendance, staying focused in class, being conscientious and having the desire as well as the motivation to succeed.” And motivated Luk was.

Total Care® Unlocked Her Potential

In addition to the strong motivation Luk’s new beginning instilled in her, she believes Columbia’s unique education system had a marked impact on her academics.
“[Columbia’s] Total Care Education System® took care of everything for me and the only thing I had to worry about was studying and doing well. That was one of the most important parts of my success,” she says, adding that she will miss the setup at Columbia.

Luk’s father agrees with her sentiments. “[Columbia] has a really good system, it is like a formula for success.” he says, adding that he has seen a real change in her. “She has started to believe in herself and she has changed into someone who can focus on her goals with a lot of self discipline. Those are the most valuable lessons she learned [at Columbia],” says Mr. Luk.

Luk’s parents are very proud of her achievements and they believe she learned invaluable lessons at Columbia. “The Total Care Education System® really helped her to mature and if she continues [on this path], she’s going somewhere in her life,” says Mr. Luk, “I definitely think the time that my daughter spent [at Columbia] was a turning point in her life. It allowed her to unlock her potential.”