Janelle Divinagracia
Hello! My name is Janelle, and I was one of the lucky recipients of the Catholic Foundation Scholarship back in 2017. This scholarship had been a tremendous help. The Catholic Foundation has financially supported my studies and has provided unconditional faith and support towards my aspirations and goals. As a result, I completed my Health Sciences First Year at the University of Otago with an A+ average. Which allowed me to get accepted into my dream profession – Medicine. With the ongoing support from the Catholic foundation, I then passed 2nd and 3rd-year medicine with Distinction.
Janelle Divinagracia
Hello! My name is Janelle, and I was one of the lucky recipients of the Catholic Foundation Scholarship back in 2017. This scholarship had been a tremendous help. The Catholic Foundation has financially supported my studies and has provided unconditional faith and support towards my aspirations and goals. As a result, I completed my Health Sciences First Year at the University of Otago with an A+ average. Which allowed me to get accepted into my dream profession – Medicine. With the ongoing support from the Catholic foundation, I then passed 2nd and 3rd-year medicine with Distinction.
Currently, I am doing an Honours project, which is a research year added to my Medicine degree. The research project I am working on involves using data from the Dunedin Study to analyse how lung function may be related to cardiovascular risk. Apart from studies, I have also worked on a project for He Kainga Oranga. And in the summer, I volunteer with St John through their Friends of the Emergency Department programme.
Even though I still have a few more years before graduation, I am excited to see where the rest of my studies take me. Therefore I am very grateful to the Catholic foundation. Without their initial generosity and belief, I would not have achieved the things I have accomplished today.
Having support from the church reminded me of a verse from Acts 20:35 - ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive”. Through this, I am reminded and motivated to give back to others. Whether it is for the sick or those in need but also for the community.