“I’m going to be proud. I’m going to hope I don’t fall off the stage,” she told CBC ahead of graduation. “I’m going to 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.”

Dennis started the program when she was 9, according to the news outlet. She completed a 40-page thesis on brain differences between right-handed people versus those who are left-handed. Her research lasted a year before she presented her work to the Ottawa-Carleton Institute of Biology Symposium.

Congratulations to Anthaea-Grace Patricia Dennis, Canada’s youngest university graduate. Her convocation is today. At just 12 years old- she’s fielding offers of post graduate studies from at least seven universities in Canada and the US. pic.twitter.com/J6AUhcq4NV

— Judy Trinh (@judyatrinh) June 10, 2023

Her mother, a law professor, says she realized her daughter was unique from a young age. The 12-year-old says her mother’s support was essential for pursuing an education.

“I feel like part of why I’m going to the convocation and walking across the stage is for her 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,” Dennis said. “She’s always there for me whenever I need her to be there.”

Being a young student in college meant others often had expectations about how she would interact with others. She shared advice with other young and gifted students.

“My advice for people who are also young, gifted, smart, talented — don’t let other people’s expectations bring you down,” she shared. “That’s been a major obstacle for me everywhere I go.”

She wants to inspire other children to pursue their ambitions to the highest level.

“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 added.

Dennis is now eyeing several universities to pursue postgraduate studies, including McGill University, the University of Toronto and the Illinois Institute of Technology. She wants to keep pursuing her research.

“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.

 

Outside of class, Dennis plays the violin and likes binge-watching TV shows with her family and playing with her cats.

Congratulations Anthaea-Grace Patricia Dennis!