Convocation is a celebration of hard work, perseverance and future promise. For the Devito family, this year’s celebrations are threefold.
Lauren Devito
Julia and Lauren Devito, BMSc’21, who make up two-thirds of a set of triplets, are graduating with their second Western degree from the MD program at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry. Their brother Christopher, the third triplet, is a Western alum who graduated with an engineering degree in 2022. Their younger brother Dylan is also graduating from the Faculty of Engineering this spring and hopes to pursue an engineering career focused on improving drinking water treatment.
“It was fun to have siblings around on campus and getting to experience university together,” Lauren said. “Sometimes we would have classes that would start or end at the same time so we could go home or go to classes together. We were kind of going to school together, but at the same time, not exactly, because we’re in different programs.”
Western roots run deep
When it came time to choose a university, the decision was easy.
Julia Devito
Born and raised in London, Ont., the Devito siblings were part of the Western community long before they officially became students. They grew up attending summer camps at Western, taking swimming lessons at the Campus Recreation Centre and competing in track and field meets at Western Alumni Stadium. Purple pride runs deep in their family, as their father is a Western grad, and their mother works at the university.
“It was cool to grow up visiting campus for all these different activities and then to finally be able to go to school here,” Julia said.
The siblings were drawn by the ability to stay close to home, as well as the various programs, co-op opportunities and extracurricular activities Western offered.
Dylan Devito
“My co-op at the regional water supply system provided hands-on work experience and a good glimpse into a possible career path. It reaffirmed my interest in drinking water treatment, and I’m currently working as a wastewater engineer-in-training,” Dylan said.
He also completed a month-long placement in Cuba through the Civil Engineering and International Development Program where he worked for an engineering firm.
“That was a really great experience because it gave me the opportunity to live on my own in another country and learn a new language while also getting some work experience. I made a lot of good friends and had a lot of experiences there that I’ll never forget,” Dylan said.
For Julia, one of the most memorable moments was competing with the Mustangs All-Girl cheerleading team with Lauren, winning the national championship in their first year.
“Our childhood cheerleading coach was one of the coaches of the Western team. We wanted to continue in this sport that we were super passionate about and Western has one of the best cheerleading programs in Canada,” Julia said.
Lauren still remembers receiving the email with her acceptance letter to Schulich Medicine & Dentistry’s MD program. “I was super excited to continue at this school in a place I had already trained at for four years.”
Building a healthier future for communities
Julia and Lauren Devito.
While their brothers are both building careers in engineering, the Schulich Medicine & Dentistry grads are committed to family medicine. Lauren will complete a two-year family medicine residency in Calgary, with plans to return to London, Ont. after completion to add sports medicine to her repertoire. Julia will do her family medicine residency in Mount Brydges, where she’ll get to experience a mix of rural and urban family medicine.
“I wanted to go into family medicine because you get such a variety of different patients and cases that come in, and I find that the most interesting. Being a family doctor offers a lot of flexibility, and you get to really make a big impact, especially now, when there is such a high demand for family doctors,” Julia said.
Lauren echoed a similar sentiment, appreciating the broad scope of family medicine
“As a family medicine physician, you really get to create long-lasting relationships with your patients. I think there’s something just so wonderful about seeing a child as a newborn and then having them in your practice long term and following them their entire life if I set up my practice in one area,” she said. “I love the idea of being able to do that and create those strong relationships with patients to help them build healthy habits and keep them healthy throughout their life.”
Eventually, Lauren hopes to join Julia in pursuing additional training in sports medicine to build a well-rounded practice.
As they reflect on their time at Western, the Devito siblings said they are grateful for the support they’ve given each other and the experiences they’ve shared.
Dylan, Julia and Lauren are among 8,000 Western students graduating this week during spring convocation, joining the global network of 372,000+ alumni around the world. Read more of Western News’ convocation coverage.
