Himanshu Anand enjoys solving complex problems, however deciding which post-secondary school to attend is proving to be quite a dilemma.
Numerous universities have offered incentive-laden scholarships, including SFU, UBC, McGill, Queens and Toronto, however deciding the best fit seems to be his toughest decision.
Although he is only in Grade 10, the Clayton Heights Secondary student has already graduated from high school. He racked up the necessary courses in his spare time.
In fact, the 16-year-old has completed three university courses over the last few months.
In addition to his exceptional academic achievements, he has been able to excel on the sports field as well, playing multiple sports and being awarded athlete of the year accolades in Grades 8 and 9.
Since arriving in Canada four years ago from Dubai with his family, Anand has been driven to succeed.
Always a solid student, Anand was in Grade 7 when he asked his father if he could take Grade 8 science.
Since the course wasn’t offered at his school, his parents went searching and found a school in Chilliwack that offered an on-line Grade 8 science course, which Anand finished in his spare time.
“He is a very hard worker,” said his father Krishan Anand. “I cannot say he is a gifted child, but he has always had a passion to learn more and more.”
Giving back has been a priority as well, with Anand tutoring classmates in Chemistry 12 and volunteering weekly at the Surrey Urban Mission and a local medical clinic.
His passion for learning is something he feels comes from within.
“I get interested in things I learn,” he said. “If I can’t solve it, I keep on trying until I can complete it. I just want to solve everything.”
And he said helping others allows him see the world from a range of perspectives.
"It’s very interesting to me how other people learn.”
With more than $20,000 in combined scholarship offers, and more likely on the way, Anand is still undecided which post-secondary institution to attend in the fall, although UBC would be his first choice.
“My brother goes to UBC and it’s close to home, so that’s where I would like to go," he said. "But I still don’t know.”
The long-term goal? Becoming a neuro-surgeon.