Anthaea-Grace Patricia Dennis is not your average 12-year-old. This child prodigy is about to make history as the youngest Canadian to graduate from university. Patricia will step onto the University of Ottawa stage to receive her bachelor’s degree in biomedical science, a program she began at just nine years old—when most kids enjoy recess.
How does she feel about her upcoming milestone? “I’m going to be proud. I’m going to hope I don’t fall off the stage,” Patricia said. “I will be happy for myself too, not just for other people. I am proud of myself for getting to this point, despite all the hurdles and blocks that there have been for a person like me.”
Her mother, Johanna Dennis, might be the most excited of all. Johanna recognized Patricia’s exceptional abilities when she was just two-and-a-half years old and has supported her ever since. As a single mother who advanced her own academic career to become a law professor, Johanna has been a crucial part of Patricia’s journey.
“I feel like part of why I’m going to the convocation and walking across the stage is for her own benefit to say, ‘Thank you for being there for me.’ I think that’s really the main purpose of the graduation in the first place,” Patricia shared. “She’s always there for me whenever I need her.”
Navigating university as a preteen has posed unique challenges for Patricia. She has faced preconceived notions and expectations about her based on her age. “My advice for people who are also young, gifted, smart, talented — don’t let other people’s expectations bring you down,” she said. “That’s been a major obstacle for me everywhere I go.”
Patricia hopes to inspire other intelligent and ambitious children. “I’m very motivated by the fact that I can be the first [to do] something. You know, being able to show other young, gifted, and talented people that something like this is possible, that you can get through these roadblocks, has always been something that I’ve always wanted to do,” she explained.
The highlight of her university career was completing a 40-page thesis on the relationship between handedness and functional activity in the cerebellum—the part of the brain responsible for coordinating balance and movement. Her research concluded that connectivity between the brain and hand significantly differs between right-handed and left-handed people. After a year of research, Patricia presented her findings at the Ottawa-Carleton Institute of Biology Symposium.
“I can now call myself a researcher,” she said proudly. “There are people showing interest in what I’m doing, and I feel like the master of the cerebellum.”
Outside of her academic pursuits, Patricia is a skilled violinist, enjoys playing with her cats, and loves binge-watching TV shows with her family. After a well-deserved summer break, she plans to attend postgraduate school. Her top choices are McGill University, the University of Toronto, and the Illinois Institute of Technology. She aims to continue her research on functional activity in the cerebellum.
“I’ll probably pick it back up when I have my own lab, and I can get people to also do it with me, because I’ll be in charge,” she said.
Great achievement. Congratulations to both mother and daughter for the exceptional featđź’—