GEORGE NEWS - York High's brilliant head boy, Ludolph Pedro, has been accepted for the Harvard Pre-College Programme, an annual academic enrichment programme for high school students from around the globe.
It is a rigorous, two-week course in June/July. "This is an opportunity for students to immerse themselves in an environment which empowers leaders by providing a platform to learn and broaden perspectives with one of the world's best universities," says the excited learner.
"Besides the appeal of tackling challenging coursework taught by world-renowned instructors in an environment that thrives on discovery and discussion, alumni of the Harvard Pre-College Programme to whom I spoke, also praised this 'eye-opening programme' over others they have done."
Ludolph says he is fascinated by the human body and has a desire to help people, which is why he will be applying at both local and foreign universities to study MBChB to become a medical doctor.
His aspirations played a role in the course he would like to do at Harvard, a course where medicine and philosophy meet: 'What does it mean to die? What is a doctor's duty to her patients? What happens when medical research betters society but harms an individual?'
"These questions rest in the intersection between medicine and philosophy, where we investigate the assumptions doctors and scientists make in their medical research," says Ludoph.
"This course is broken down into two primary sections. First, we evaluate three terms in medicine and consider whether they have unexpected philosophical consequences: disease, death, and intelligence. We then bring this theoretical work to medical ethics, where we explore three topics: end-of-life care, abortion, and eugenics. After taking this course, students are in a better position to evaluate claims made about ethics in medicine, provide philosophical arguments to support their views, and debate their views with other philosophers. This course teaches students to question what it means to have a body and whether their body is their own."
Seeking sponsorship
Both of his parents are educators in public schools and have to support two other children at university. "As much as they would love to pay for me, they simply cannot. I therefore humbly request financial assistance so that my financial situation will not prevent me from participating in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with a world-class university which I cannot allow to pass me by. Any amount of money donated would be gratefully accepted," says Ludolph.
The total course costs $5050 (±R74 000) excluding flight, visa and other costs.
Last year, Ludolph was also accepted into the Yale Young Global Scholars Programme with generous financial aid. The Harvard Pre-College programme does not provide financial aid to international students.
There were numerous reasons for Ludolph to be accepted for the Harvard and Yale programmes.
He has been at the top of his grade since Grade 8 and his academic success includes a 96% average for Grade 10, a 97% average for Grade 11, and a 98% average for the first term of matric.
Ludolph has also achieved on a national level in his extracurricular activities and placed first in South Africa numerous times.
He excelled in piano under the guidance of Greta Benade, who has been his music teacher since 2012, as well as public speaking under the guidance of Emsie de Lange.
His leadership abilities afforded him the positions of chairperson of the Representative Council of Learners (RCL) at York for 2021 and 2022, Junior Mayor of the George Junior City Council as well as head boy of York this year. He has also had to write numerous application essays.
Ludolph may be contacted on 076 366 4948 or through e-mail at ludolphpedro@gmail.com.
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