1 in 32: Joanna Nie on Her Journey to UBC’s Midwifery Program at 19-Years Old

In June 2024, Joanna Nie proudly crossed the stage at her high school graduation, eager to begin the next chapter of her journey: post-secondary education. Like many first-year students, she looked ahead with curiosity and excitement—ready to discover new opportunities, whether through classes, clubs, or connections—at the University of British Columbia.

It was there that a chance meeting with fellow Luminary, Avital Kline, sparked something unexpected.

Through their conversation, Joanna was introduced to the world of midwifery—an encounter that would fast-track her vision of becoming a medical professional. When applications opened for UBC’s 2025 Midwifery program, Joanna decided to take a leap. She submitted her application without expectation, seeing it as an exercise in courage and growth more than anything else.

But then came the life-changing moment: a single notification on her phone revealed that she had been accepted into an incredible competitive program. Coming from the Faculty of Arts at UBC, which is home to 16,000 students, Joanna would now join a cohort of just 32 students selected each year.

As Joanna embarks on this new chapter, her story reminds us that paths rarely unfold as planned. What began as a broad exploration of undergraduate life has transformed into a calling—one shaped by resilience, curiosity, and the support of her Luminary community.

Follow along as Joanna shares her reflections on this journey: from being one of thousands, to one of just 32, and the challenges and triumphs that have brought her to where she is today.

---

Joanna, it’s so nice to chat with you. Can you start by introducing yourself to our readers?

Hi I’m Joanna! I am a proud recipient of the Beedie Luminaries SHINE (cohort 2024), and super excited to announce that I will be attending my first year of Midwifery school at UBC this fall. A fun fact about me is that you will always see me drinking a Coke. Whether I’m catching up on dozens of missed lectures during finals season or just eating some McDonalds, I can guarantee you nobody likes Coke more than me. I also love Grey’s Anatomy (which you’ll be able to tell as you read through this article), I can guarantee you I could probably beat you in a trivia contest about the show.

On a more serious note, to truly get to know me, you should know how I got to this position in my life. I am an only child to your typical immigrant parents, residing in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. I was often left at daycares or home alone while my parents would work their multiple jobs. From a young age, I learned how to be independent and took on responsibilities that many kids my age didn’t think of doing. Taking on these responsibilities so early in my life isn’t something I really dreamed of doing, but I am grateful that these experiences taught me resilience and the most important life lesson, empathy.

As cliche as it is to say, my biggest purpose in life is to give back and help others. For as long as I can remember, volunteering was something l genuinely loved doing. In my early years of high school, I was part of the Windermere Leadership Program, which focused on social responsibility and environmental stewardship, but most importantly– community involvement. This led me down a path of volunteering in different aspects of my community, from content creation for a non-profit to supervising daycamps (trust me I’ve probably accumulated well over 1000 hours of volunteering).

Through the countless hours spent volunteering, I came to the realization that making others feel seen and supported was what I felt most happy doing. All these different experiences amplified my desire to pursue a career where I can build meaningful connections and provide care to who needed it. Never in a million years would I imagine myself going into Midwifery, but in a way, it feels like the universe guided me here, restarting my first year of university in a program that truly aligns with my morals and passion.

You’ve clearly come a long way—can you share a bit about your original ambitions and where they came from?

My first memorable ambitions were centered around helping people like becoming a teacher, or even a lawyer but those never felt right. If I’m being honest, I actually never had a passion for anything related to healthcare until Covid started. Like many others, I had started watching Grey’s Anatomy out of boredom during the lockdown. (Little did I know, it would turn out this way…)

I originally wanted to go into the paediatric field because of my favourite characters Arizona Robbins and Alex Karev from Grey’s. Luckily, I loved working with children, and for as long as I can remember I’ve always been volunteering with children. From elementary school, I was a peer helper leader supervising the younger kids, to my teenage years volunteering my summers with the Strathcona Daycamp, supervising and playing with kids to tutoring kids during the school year. I was sure I wanted to work in the field focused on children’s health and needs.

Of course, I loved working with the kids. But truthfully what kept me coming back every year wasn’t the work I did with the kids specifically, but it was how they trusted me. It’s such a rewarding feeling to know that these kids looked to me for advice thinking that I knew what’s best for them. Being the person they could rely on to see every summer, week, etc, was so special. It’s honestly such a blessing to be able to feel sad, saying goodbye to these kids every year. Knowing they impacted me just as much as them. They really meant a lot to me and helped me become the person I am today.

This feeling of providing care to those who trusted me really stuck with me, it became clear to me this is something I wanted to do in the future, just in a different setting. That is what led me to Midwifery.

Was there a pivotal moment that shifted your perspective and set you on the path to midwifery?

I was always keen on becoming a doctor. Throughout high school, I learned how to do simple sutures on suture kits, and even joined pre-med clubs where I learned about different illnesses. My counsellor even started calling me Dr. Nie as a joke. It wasn’t until September 16th, 2022, the day that made me realize I didn’t want to spend my life watching people say goodbye to loved ones. I wasn’t afraid of the hard work this career entailed, I was scared of losing people again and again.

From a young age, I’ve always known my dad was different. Compared to the dads of people my age, you could tell that my dad was far older. Growing up, I would stay up at night, stressing and feeling terrified knowing something could happen to him at any time. Until it did and it changed my perspective on life. On September 16th, 2022, my father had a stroke that left him hospitalized for 2 weeks. Having someone who you looked up to your entire life, partially paralyzed and completely forgetting your entire existence is heartbreaking. This was not only a terrifying thing to witness, but the place I once idolized working in, would leave me traumatized and sick thinking about it.

He recovered fine thankfully. But it really changed my perspective on the field of medicine. Medicine is so incredible, don’t get me wrong. I love how you get to see the impact of your work, which is something I’ve always admired. Especially the aspect where you can save someone’s life quite literally. But I do think what we see online, or on shows like Grey’s Anatomy tend to glorify this field of work. It’s so easy to overlook the fact that these cases involve real people who may be afraid, overwhelmed, or lonely when we are focused on the drama or the diagnosis.

In my dad’s case, all the care he received was excellent, and I’m forever grateful because he wouldn’t be here without it. However, I couldn’t get rid of this feeling that to his healthcare team, he was just another patient, another case on their list. Which I understand is their job and they did a phenomenal job to get him well.

But to me, he wasn’t just another patient, he was my dad. The man who raised me, who I accidentally threw up on for eating too much watermelon, and who taught me how to be independent.
Watching him go through such a vulnerable time made me realize something, I didn’t want a career where I only treat people. I wanted a path where I could actually know them, to understand their fears, support their choices, and build a real connection. That’s what drew me to midwifery. It’s not just about delivering babies, it’s about standing by someone through one of the most meaningful and or personal moments of their life.

It takes a village to achieve something like this. Who has supported you most along the way?

First and foremost, I want to thank the Beedie Luminaires Community. My path to Midwifery has been made much easier by the relationships I’ve formed in this community. I remember the first Beedie event I attended was the Beedie x UBC lunch meetup, where I met Avital Kline, who was graduating from the Midwifery program that year.

From helping me prepare for my MMI interview, to making this application process a little less scary, Avital was always there to help ease my doubts. I knew midwifery was the career path I wanted for myself as soon as I met them. Their support was kind, sincere, and selfless, qualities I aspire to portray in my own work. With the help of Beedie, not only was I able to meet a mentor who has helped get into this competitive program, they provided me the financial freedom to start fresh in a program that aligns with my passion.

Another organization I want to shout out would have to be Pathways to Education Program, especially my youth outreach worker, Tyler Dobbins. With the help of Pathways and Tyler, I was offered over 55k+ in scholarship money (in fact, Tyler was the one who introduced me to Beedie Luminaries), getting bursaries to attend UBC FGL– a pre-university program on the UBC campus, as well as having tutoring support almost every night weekly. In highschool, I would spend most of my nights, sitting with tutors to ensure I knew everything I was learning. With Pathways, I never once felt alone in navigating my academics in high school and college preparations! If you are looking for extra support in school, I’d recommend you check out Pathways!

Most importantly, I want to express my gratitude with the support my family and boyfriend have given me throughout these years. My parents have sacrificed a lot moving to a country where they don’t speak the language of, to provide me a life they never had. Especially my mom, the type of mom who shops in clearance aisles so I had the nicest pieces to wear. Who never complained about using my old hand me downs.

She’s the amazing woman who worked day and night to send me to one of the best universities in Canada, something both my parents could never do for themselves. I hope to repay them both one day. I always tell them they got lucky with their first and only child (joking…). Alongside my parents, my boyfriend has been a huge support through my transition from high school to university to now Midwifery. Between him and my family, I had all the support I needed to keep going.

Looking ahead, what are you most excited about as you begin this next chapter? And what lessons will you carry with you into the future?

I’m honestly really excited to start the program. It’s such a relief to say that I’m finally in Midwifery after this past year. What I’m especially looking forward to is meeting the folks I’ll be spending the next 4 years with. I’m going into this program with a very open mind. We’re all at different stages in life (ages range from ~18-40 years old), coming from all different backgrounds, and some even with 2 prior degrees, but it’s safe to say I have so much to learn from everyone. This will be yet another big transition after coming from high school, to joining the UBC Arts faculty of 16,000 students to now 32 students in UBC Midwifery.

Looking forward to the future, I know that obstacles are inevitable. Especially knowing that I will be moving around BC for the next 3 years (I’m so nervous I don’t even think about it ). But if these past few years have taught me something, it’s to embrace the unknown. From switching career aspirations to restarting my first year, I often felt very lost and alone.

There were times when it all seemed too hard. I had to constantly remind myself that success isn’t linear and that everyone has to go through the downs before they see the ups! I’m starting this beginning with so much more self-awareness and deep appreciation for all the setbacks that led me to where I currently am now. I know these next couple of years will really challenge me, but one thing I know about me is I’ll always get it done. Though, I couldn’t have done this all alone, thanks to the support I’ve received from Beedie, Pathways, my boyfriend and especially my parents for helping me get to this spot in my life!