A former Burnaby student who organizes health-care translation for immigrants has won a full-ride scholarship to McGill University’s master’s program.
Lynda Li, a 2018 graduate of Moscrop Secondary, co-founded a free service while studying kinesiology at the University of British Columbia that matches immigrants with translators for their health-care visits. Volentia Healthcare Translation has matched over 40 patients with 35 volunteer interpreters, offering help in languages like Mandarin, Korean and Punjabi.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Li also sprang into action, running weekly fitness sessions for older adults in assisted living and organizing meal distribution. She volunteers at a hospice and is currently creating a mobile app to help with medical rehabilitation.
Li was chosen over nearly 700 hopefuls over a seven-month process for a McCall MacBain scholarship that includes tuition, fees and a $2,000 monthly stipend.
She plans to study family medicine at McGill and sees this scholarship as a clear path for her goal to make healthcare more accessible.
“I’d like to use my education and the opportunities that I’ve been given to help immigrants and newcomers thrive and feel a sense of belonging,” she said.
Li found out she won in the same room where she’d applied for the scholarship and prepared for rounds of interviews.
“It was overwhelming in the best possible way,” she said. “I couldn’t believe it.”
She celebrated the news with friends, family and her research professor, “all of whom have been and continue to be invaluable supports in my life.”
Created in 2019 with a gift of $200 million to McGill University, the McCall McBain scholarship aims to reward graduate students who show leadership qualities, character and community involvement alongside academic strength. Along with full tuition, fees and stipends for students to pay their bills, scholars will also receive mentorship and leadership development and have their costs covered for relocating to Montreal.
