Community
4 March, 2025
STEM prodigy starts uni
LOCAL Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) prodigy Leila McLean, who last year won the Peter Doherty Award for STEM excellence, has been accepted into a Bachelor of Medicine at James Cook University.
The 18-year-old graduate from St Monica’s College has always had a passion for STEM as a tool to improve people’s lives.
Last year in August she won the Peter Doherty Award among 90 applicants statewide. Now she’s one step closer to making her dream come true after starting a degree at JCU.
Ms McLean said she was eager to use her talents to bring better medical outcomes for Far North Queenslanders.
“Although many of my friends decided to move to metropolitan areas for their university, I chose to stay in Cairns. I’m so incredibly grateful to be able to stay in my hometown where my dream course was offered,” she said.
“Growing up in Cairns my entire life has given me appreciation for the town and its culture, and it means the world to me to have the opportunity to one day practice medicine here.
“It would be wonderful to do my placement at Cairns Hospital, the hospital where I was born. Unfortunately, regional towns such as Cairns have a lack of specialist doctors, but one day I hope to give back to my community by working as a doctor here and help make care more accessible for all.
“Medical technology strongly interests me, and I hope to learn more about the latest innovations in this field. I’m also ready to build on my mathematical and scientific knowledge from high school, being able to truly see the real-life applications of my learning.”
Ms McLean said it had been a very exciting experience to explore the JCU Cairns campus.
