45454| O akville B eaver | T hursday,June 7,2018 insidehalton.comSAVE TIME - BUY ONLINE! VISIT US AT BADBOY.CA! 686868%OFFUPTO SUPERBUYS $898 SAVE $200 4K SMART LED TV #108091 120MR • 3 HDMI • 2 USB 58" 4K SMART LED TV OPTICOPTICOPTICOPTICOPTICOPTICOPTIC CABLES FREE! #113319#113319#113319#113319#113319#113319#113319#113319#113319#113319#113319 WITH TV PURCHASE OF $698 OR MORE! FACTORYOUTLET! BURLINGTON MALL 777 G UELPH LINE NOW OPEN! 1276 Cornwall Road, Unit C, Oakville Ontario, L6J 7W5 T: 905-845-0767 • F: 905-845-5552 •www.haxelllaw.com • lawyers@haxelllaw.com Personal Professional Service at Competitive Rates Buying? Selling? Re Call us for a quote at 905-845-0767 ext. 223Jameson Glas GOLDGOGOGOGOGOGOGOLDLDLDLDLD 905-845-0767 ext. 223Jameson Glas ARTS Visit insidehalton.comfor more coverage Medical student Paul Carr was on an internal medicine rota- tion at Hamilton General Hospi- tal when he noticed someone fa- miliar walking down the hall. "Mr. Carr?" she said. It took only a moment before Carr recognized her as a former student from his years spent as a school music teacher. She was now a nursing student, while he was a medical student, both studying at McMaster Universi- ty. The encounter, which some would say happened by chance, reinforced Carr's belief that ev- erything happens for a reason. "It was such a beautiful experi- ence to see someone I knew as a young child who I remembered teaching to play an instrument and coaching in basketball. To see her thriving as a successful, intelligent young woman was amazing," says Carr, who is grad- uating from McMaster's Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine this week. Carr graduated with a Bache- lor in Music with co-majors in Education and Performance from McGill University in Mon- treal in 1998. Up until three years ago, the saxophonist could be found in the band room at Glenburnie School in Oakville. He spent a good part of his 20s and his early 30s as the junior and intermediate music teacher for students in Grades 3 to 8 at the private school. He also led three after-school bands and coached several of the school's sports teams. His bustling professional life was mirrored with an equally busy life at home with his wife, Dawn, and their two young chil- dren, Anika and Felix. "In my early 30s, I wondered if it was too late to explore my other love, which was the sciences, and I was hoping medicine would be- come what it has turned out to be for me," he says. "Medicine has many of the same things I love about teach- ing, such as the camaraderie with my peers and watching children grow up and thrive." Making the transition back to being a student took several years, as he wanted to be there as a father during his children's ear- ly years. After doing well on a practice MCAT, he took an online corre- spondence course in anatomy and physiology and was hooked. He credits Dawn for her unwaver- ing support of his decision to in- vestigate medical school applica- tions. Carr applied at a number of medical schools but says McMas- ter showed particular interest and went the extra mile, calling him directly when one of his let- ters of recommendation failed to be forwarded to their admissions office. The letter was resent the same day, and he was offered an interview. He knew then it was the place for him and was thrilled to later accept the offer of admis- sion. "McMaster seemed like the on- ly school that was interested in what I could bring to the table," he says. "They saw my wealth of experience and that I brought a different perspective." Carr says his three years at McMaster proved to be fulfilling and reminded him every step of the way that he had made the right choice in this life-changing decision. "McMaster was absolutely perfect for me," he says. "I am a self-directed learner, so it al- lowed me to learn the content in a way that worked best and stayed with me. There were also stu- dents from a variety of back- grounds and experiences, so I en- joyed the social aspect immense- ly, as well." Carr entered the program knowing he wanted to become a family doctor. He will soon start his residen- cy in family medicine at the Uni- versity of Toronto. "I've always wanted to do fami- ly medicine because I like the Family medicine music to graduate's ears Paul Carr, a professional musician, graduated from McMaster's Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine Thursday as he works towards fulfilling his dream of becoming a family doctor. Dawn Stremler/photo l See CARR, page 46