STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
In remembrance of talent, commitment and kindness:
The Jasmine Quigley Memorial Award By Beatrice Ballarin & Laura Best
T
his is the story of a talented girl. A girl with a gentle soul who was bright and kind, who loved and is loved, who was full of questions and contradictions. This is the story of Jasmine Quigley and her memorial award. Jasmine, or Jaz, to her friends, was an introvert. Though shy, she appeared strong and confident to her friends and peers. Thrilled to have been accepted to the UofT bioengineering program, she was excited to be a part of the Skule community. You may have even seen her in her first year around campus, all purple like the tradition demands. One of the STEM girls–smart and hard-working. As fellow UofT students, we know the commitment and discipline required to get into–let alone succeed in–this prestigious program. Though her natural talent was undeniable, Jaz had worked hard to get into this program. To finally have made it into such an important school! A brief celebration before the hard work began. Though the demands of bioengineering are high, it didn’t seem to be a problem for Jaz. She was the one that appeared to have it under control. Sleeping early and waking earlier, she was always ready for class or to squeeze in a quick hour of studying before the day truly began. She wasn’t a last-minute kind of student nor a puller of all-nighters. She was hard-working. She knew herself and had high expectations. She preferred to sacrifice time out with friends to get her schoolwork done–one-max-two bubble teas per semester. And she was okay with that. School came first, that was her rule.
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She was a perfectionist, always on top of the workload, always organized, and calm as deadlines approached. At least, this is how she appeared to friends and peers. Who knows how she must have really felt about it all? She kept to herself, to the point that she appeared to have it all under control. Always a support for her friends. Maybe she really did have it all under control? She was the one keeping her friends afloat during those early weeks of first year bioengineering. That’s who Jaz was, so kind, so caring. Competitive, but only with herself, and always very kind to the others. She was the friend, classmate, or lab-mate that everyone hoped to meet. She was a role model for those around her, and yet so young and so lost. Did she have it under control? Maybe. Maybe she had a hard time reconciling this deeper aspect of her character, her own deep sadness, with the great student that she was and all of her achievements. It’s not an easy task, after all. Maybe she was too focused on her school, her future career and caring for others to think about herself, her own needs. Maybe. And still, nobody noticed this internal battle that threatened to crack her exterior. Would you have? One thing is for sure: Jaz was an excellent student, and not only by GPA standards. This happens when you are simply that smart, things come easy to you. She could solve lab problems for her friends while just passing by and thinking for a second. That’s it, that smart. It happens; those students are rare, but they exist, and Jaz was one of them. Bright, kind, and…deeply sad.
Jasmine Quigley
Photo Credit: Peter Quigley
Like all of us, Jaz was wondering about her future. What would come of her after those years at UofT? What would her career be like? From the girl that could do anything, how did she see herself in the future? Curious about research in bioengineering and medicine, Jaz decided to follow her passion. Rather than applying for one of those well-paying summer jobs for engineers, those jobs that pay enough money to live like a Queen for the rest of the year, she enrolled as a summer research student earning $800 per month working at least 8 hours a day, if not more. Despite her father’s initial surprise, being a software engineer himself, Jaz didn’t mind earning less than one month’s rent in Toronto. She felt it was the right way to spend her summers, investing in herself and her future, allowing her curiosity to dictate her next steps. And Graphic design by Amy Zhang
