Alexandra Mitchell was a natural fit for a career in health care. She was ambitious, confident and a genuine caregiver. As a true Halloween baby born on October 31, Alexandra loved good-humoured mischief.
“We called her a trickster and a treater,” says her father, Kent Mitchell.
Alexandra graduated from Michener’s Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Technology program in 1996. She was passionate about her program and believed that her career path would make a difference in cancer research and patient care. Michener was an important life step for Alexandra, and not just for her education: it was during her time at Michener that she met Gilberto Prudencio, whom she married shortly after graduation.
In the spring of 1998, Alexandra was diagnosed with Leukemia. She passed away that September, just two years after she graduated from Michener. She was in the prime of her life.
“When Alex died, we needed something tangible to remember her, and we wanted to do something that would be meaningful to her,” says Mr. Mitchell. “Encouraging students who were doing the same work she did to support cancer patients and fight the disease was important to us.”
November 2018 marked the 20th anniversary of the Alexandra Mitchell Prudencio Memorial Scholarship, which awards $500 to a Michener Nuclear Medicine student who shows remarkable patient care in a clinical setting, and takes an active role in Michener activities both inside and outside the classroom. Friends of the Mitchell family along with Michener faculty, Denis Poulin in particular, were instrumental in raising funds to secure the scholarship.
“Over 100 people donated to the scholarship fund, and we’ve certainly been rewarded over the years,” Mr. Mitchell recalls. “The recipients have such a generous spirit, and they reflect the award itself. These young people are going to work wonders.”
Kyle Yin received the scholarship in 2018. A third-year Nuclear Medicine student doing his clinical placement at Juravinski Hospital in Hamilton, Kyle feels grateful to have received the scholarship: “I read about the history of the award, and it’s pretty special to receive this money. It helped me a lot.”
Mr. Mitchell says he’s always moved when he attends Michener’s Student Awards Ceremony and meets the scholarship winner.
“It’s so rewarding to see these bright, happy faces receiving their award,” he says. “It’s a joyous event. Some of the winners bring up their parents to have their photo taken with me, and that is really something special.”
To learn more about ways to support Michener students through awards and donations, visit michener.ca/alumni/donate.
