Henry Zhao- Honours Microbiology and Immunology

Henry Zhao pursued a degree in honours microbiology and immunology. He highlights the opportunities and obstacles of his program, and the benefit of exposing yourself to new experiences.

Tell us about what you have studied at McGill.

I graduated from Honours Microbiology and Immunology. I chose honours because it allows you to take the knowledge from your courses and apply it productively, making real contributions to the field.

Interviewer’s note: for more information regarding the Honours Microbiology and Immunology program at McGill University, please refer to https://www.mcgill.ca/microimm/undergraduate/programs/honours

What are some pros and cons about your program?

Microbiology and Immunology offers a large number of research opportunities, opening the door to many different areas of interest. The immersive and collaborative lab courses prepare you well for graduate study or work in industry and most classes are fair in terms of time commitment and difficulty. Additionally, the program is relatively small and you can get to know your professors and peers in class or through social events hosted by the student council, which always have a great turnout.

For some, myself included, were keen to study immunology and were genuinely interested in the “cellular war” going on inside our body, but were less fond of the microbiology component. The only way to get around this would be to branch into the Interdepartmental Honours Immunology program.

What is the proudest thing you’ve done at McGill?

In my second year at McGill I helped organize a brigade to Honduras. At the time, I was the VP Medicine and it was my duty to procure medications and solicit interest from healthcare professionals to join us on our trip. Among many things, we organized fundraising parties, pharmacy drives, and educational meetings. Despite being a small club, we managed to raise over $2500, enough to purchase pharmaceutical supplies and fund our public health brigade to Honduras, where we would contribute to the sustainability goals of Global Brigades. We delivered on our promise to provide the community with medications, new sanitary structures, and we educated the young students about healthy practices. Equally as important was conveying our message to the students at McGill and the following year as co-president, we were successful in this regard. Seeing the club continue to grow and achieve its goals is something I am proud of.

What was a valuable involvement during your time at McGill?

A valuable involvement of mine at McGill was the Varsity Badminton Team. You know that saying where it goes something along the lines of “if you love your job, you don’t work a day in your life?” I never really grasped the meaning of that until I began training for badminton at McGill. Seeing my abilities improve over the years and winning more games at the tournaments were rewarding to say the least, and made me want to train harder to become a better player.

Do you have any advice for the younglings at McGill?

Since coming to McGill I felt as if I was mostly following the advice of others, doing what was supposedly right. I was inexperienced and wasn’t accustomed to taking initiative to get involved around school. But as I started to open doors here and there, I began to realize my passions and become more independent. My first research experience was at Toronto General Hospital and I literally had to beg for that position. Your first bit of experience will be the most important and it is the one that gives you the credibility to apply for other related jobs or positions. So, if you’re in first year,

try everything and each experience will lead you to new discoveries and eventually, you will discover what suits you.