History has been made this year at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Medicine. Chika Stacy Oriuwa is the second black woman to become valedictorian in the faculty's history*. She is also the only black student in her graduating class, made up of over 200 people. Oriuwa has received praise for her achievement, even from our Prime Minister. According to CBC, Oriuwa is the Faculty of Medicine's first woman to be crowned standalone valedictorian in 14 years. Oriuwa gave her big speech via video during her virtual graduation ceremony. She shared it for the world to see on June 2. Trudeau even gave her a shout out on Tuesday morning, congratulating her on her amazing accomplishment. "Congratulations! Your voice, your talents, and your passion are needed now more than ever," he wrote. "Enjoy this moment - and all the best to you and your fellow @UofTMedicine graduates in the years to come. This is only the beginning of an incredible journey, I’m sure," reads Trudeau's tweet at the recently graduated student. Congratulations! Your voice, your talents, and your passion are needed now more than ever. Enjoy this moment - and all the best to you and your fellow @UofTMedicine graduates in the years to come. This is only the beginning of an incredible journey, I’m sure. #UofTGrad20 https://t.co/QCTKi5Ci2v— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) June 2, 2020 "Medicine is such an incredible and beautiful profession. And it's such a privilege and a responsibility to be able to become a doctor, and … they are more than well-equipped to be able to fulfil this role," said Oriuwa in her message for black medical students via CBC. "Their place in medical school as black medical students is rightly deserved and rightly earned and to never question that for even for a moment, even if other people question it," she added. In her valedictorian speech, @chikastacypoet addresses her fellow graduates:We have shown,that are capable of doing what has not been done before We are the class who will explore the stones yet unturned.#UofTGrad20 pic.twitter.com/LSsyoJXEhH— U of T MD Program (@UofTMDprogram) June 2, 2020 Four years ago, Oriuwa entered her first day of medical school and learned that she was the only black student in a class of 259. For the 2024 graduating class, the Black Medical Students’ Association at U of T announced that 24 black medical students have been admitted to the Faculty of Medicine at U of T. Such an incredibly surreal honour. Excited to be named the Valedictorian of the Class of 2020 @uoftmedicine. Endless gratitude to my peers for the opportunity to represent this cohort of brilliant physicians! pic.twitter.com/GoMrJRFXAj— Chika Stacy Oriuwa (@chikastacypoet) April 19, 2020 They state that this is the largest group in Canadian history. Hard work definitely goes a long way and Oriuwa is a wonderful example of that. *This article has been updated.
