For Isabella, community has always been at the centre, whether in the classroom, on stage, or on the field. As a member of Branksome’s Class of 2026, she's heading to Queen's University to study health sciences, drawn by a program that lets her explore science alongside psychology, health policy and ethics.

Branksome has taught me that community and relationships are really important when you're trying to solve big problems.

Isabella's interdisciplinary mindset took shape early, especially through her Grade 10 Personal Project, an essay on teenagers' perspectives on world religions. "That was such a meaningful thing because I got to connect to my own background and roots," she says. "My family is both Buddhist and Catholic, and I got to talk to teenagers and consider what other young people think about that issue." That same instinct led her to IB Select, where she took biology, chemistry and physics simultaneously under her Branksome teachers. "My teachers were very happy to support me through all of the extra work that comes with those courses," she shares, "and they always made sure I could balance my courses and have enough time to study."

At Queen's, Isabella is looking forward to the same sense of camaraderie she found at Branksome over her fourteen years, built through theatre, athletics teams and student leadership. "Branksome has taught me that community and relationships are really important when you're trying to solve big problems," she says. She hopes to carry that into healthcare, prioritizing human connection as the field grows more focused on technology and data. "We need to make sure that people feel seen and heard by their care team," she explains.

Isabella credits Branksome's science department and French department with pushing her to ask extra questions and take on more rigorous challenges, and her University Counsellors with coaching her through the application process and connecting her with alums. Looking back, she says Branksome's greatest gift was preparation. "Branksome pushes you at an early age so that when it's time to leap into university, you're super prepared. All you have to do is choose what area you want to go into, and then fully invest in that new stage of your life."