Makana Hilton
CFIS Alumni Insights: Lessons Learnt, Best Yet & What's Next
May 2021
We are thrilled to shine a spotlight on one of our remarkable alumni, Makana Hilton '14, who is currently making waves in the medical field all the way from Sydney, Australia.
Where are you now?
I am currently living in Sydney, Australia and studying medicine at Macquarie University. I was fortunate enough to have attended Macquarie during my undergraduate studies at the University of Calgary through their international exchange program. It was a fantastic experience and set the stage to return to Australia immediately after graduation.
What are your future plans?
I am pursuing my dream of becoming a physician and working in the medical field. At the moment, my plan is to work in emergency medicine, intensive care or cardiology, although I am open to all of the other specialties as I get more exposure to them through the program. In addition to becoming a doctor, I look forward to travelling (in a post-pandemic world), completing a rural placement where I can practice in a wholistic setting, working on a medi-vac team where adrenalin and creativity will be vivid, and learning another language as this enlightens so much culture.
What is your greatest accomplishment since graduating from CFIS?
My greatest accomplishment to date is graduating with my Masters of Brain and Mind Sciences from the University of Sydney. In addition to providing me with many personal and professional experiences, this Masters degree significantly enhanced my application to medical schools and enabled me to accept my offer to the Macquarie MD. During my program, I completed a research activity at the Westmead Children’s Hospital. With the support of my two fabulous supervisors, with whom I continue to work as a Research Assistant studying neurodevelopmental disorders, my thesis is currently being reviewed for publication.
What is the greatest lesson you’ve taken from CFIS?
CFIS provided me with such a strong academic, social, personal, professional and global foundation that it is hard to narrow it down to just one lesson I have taken away. If I had to pick just one, however, CFIS taught me anything is possible if you put your mind to it, so never stop reaching for your goals. As one of the first middle-immersion students, I remember sitting at my first school assembly in grade 4, not understanding a single word that was said. Over the following two years, I learned French and entered the mainstream program in grade 6. By then, the school assemblies were a whole lot more interesting! The encouragement and support during that period taught me perseverance. Throughout junior high and high school, I learned to step outside my comfort zone. Specifically, I conquered my fear of homesickness and learned to be more independent during our travel studies trips. I learned that things are possible when you commit to trying your best, which has served me throughout.
CFIS prepared me with the tools to show how badly I wanted to become a Physician. The first year I applied to medical school, I didn’t get accepted, but rather than giving up on my dream, I chose to complete a master’s degree. During this period, I studied hard for my MCAT exam and was able to substantially increase my score on my re-write. I recall in one of my interviews, I was asked what I would do if I didn’t make it into the Medical Doctor program – my answer was firm – I was going to get in one way or another. This time, I received offers from five of the universities that I applied to and accepted my first choice! I like to live by a quote from one of my favourite books, The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch, “The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something.”