The Class of 2026 includes students pursuing some of the most demanding and meaningful programs in health and medical sciences, at universities spanning three continents. Their paths to those programs were shaped by experiences both inside and outside the classroom, from hospital internships and neuroscience academies to dissections, robotics competitions and years of volunteering in their communities.
Annabel Taubenschlag
School: University of Melbourne
Program: Bachelor of Biomedicine
Annabel Taubenschlag is heading to Australia this fall to study Biomedicine at the University of Melbourne.
At SMUS, Annabel was Co-Head of Girl Up Club, a member of Law Club, and competed in rowing, rugby, and Robotics Club, representing SMUS at the Skills BC competition in 2025. Biology stood out in the classroom, where dissections and hands-on experiments gave her an early taste of the kind of work that lies ahead in biomedicine. Outside school, she volunteered with the Victoria Hand Project and balanced part-time work alongside her studies.
She credited all of her teachers, specifically Scott Dawson, Anna Kratofil, Tiffany Webber, and Kate de Goede, as well as her parents, for preparing her for the next level.
"My favourite SMUS moments were the times I spent with my friends, both in and outside of class," said Annabel. "Moving forward, I know these connections will help me build strong relationships and work effectively with people in future school, work, and life experiences."
Crystal Cai
School: University of British Columbia
Program: General Sciences, with plans to specialize in Cellular, Anatomical and Physiological Sciences
Crystal Cai spent her time at SMUS leading the Well-being Council and competing on the Senior Girls Volleyball, Basketball, and Soccer teams, but it was the science classrooms that left the deepest impression. Dissecting pigs in Tiffany Webber's class, running experiments in chemistry and anatomy, and watching Benson Young create explosions in the Christine Duke Theatre were among her most vivid memories.
Beyond SMUS, Crystal interned in the cardiology sector at a hospital in China, contributed to research for the Fostering Inclusion for People with Dementia Community Action Group, and served as logistics coordinator for the City of Victoria Youth Council.
She credited several science teachers, including Peter Leggatt, Tiffany Webber, Anna Kratofil, and Benson Young, for inspiring her to pursue this path.
"I am so grateful to be able to go into university with the academic foundation and supportive community SMUS has given me," said Crystal. "I am nervous but excited to carry what I have learned forward and see where the future takes me."
Preeya Kaur
School: University of Calgary
Program: Kinesiology (BSc), pre-med
Preeya Kaur's path to medicine has been shaped as much by what she has done outside school as inside it. She has volunteered weekly at a long-term care home through Island Health's Step Up Youth Program since September, working with residents living with dementia and Alzheimer's in ways that taught her patience and the importance of treating every person with full dignity. She attended the McGill Summer Academy for Pathways to Neuro and Health Sciences, completing neuroscience coursework alongside PhD candidates, and was accepted to BC Children's Hospital's Mini Med School for two consecutive years.
At SMUS, a Grade 10 engineering project with the Victoria Hand Project, designing assistive devices for prosthetics, deepened her appreciation for the intersection of technology and medicine. AP Biology in her senior years solidified her readiness for the demands of the health sciences.
There is a personal thread running through all of it. Preeya has danced ballet since age three, and years of training and physiotherapy gave her an early and intimate understanding of how the body moves and works, a foundation she now plans to build on through kinesiology at the University of Calgary.
"I am especially excited to be studying kinesiology as a dancer to further my understanding of how the body moves and works," she said.
Ruby Dieringer
School: University of British Columbia
Program: Speech Sciences Co-op
Ruby Dieringer spent two years at SMUS making the most of every opportunity the school offered. She served as Head of Symons House, earned her Duke of Edinburgh Award and Boarding Colours, co-organized a school-wide donation drive for Soap for Hope, contributed to the SLiCE service program, and volunteered at Shelbourne Community Kitchen, all while serving on Service Council and the Red Cross Club.
Her time as Head of House turned out to be directly relevant to where she is headed. The interpersonal communication and organizational skills the role demanded reinforced her interest in studying communication at a neurological and psychological level.
"Being entrusted with this leadership role really strengthened my interpersonal communication and organizational skills, which equip me to go on to study communication on a more neurological and psychological level," said Ruby.
She leaves SMUS with a lesson she plans to carry into university: that opportunities only change your life if you take them.
"SMUS supplies you with enriching opportunities and connections that can change your life, but only if you take advantage of them," she said.
