It was a close family member’s cancer diagnosis that catapulted Po-Jui (Ray) Lin (BSc ’26) onto the path of oncology.

A competitive athlete in his home country of Taiwan, Lin initially thought a career in kinesiology would make good use of his skills and expertise.

He arrived at Brock University four years ago with dreams of becoming a sport physiotherapist — but life had other plans.

His growing awareness of injustices in the health-care system shifted his focus to public health studies. Lin even earned a Harvard online certificate on Reducing Racial Disparities in Health Care, taught by faculty from Harvard Medical School.

Then came the devastating news.

“The type of lung cancer she has is rare,” Lin says of his loved one who was diagnosed. “There aren’t a lot of treatment options, and the current standard of care doesn’t really work.”

Fuelled by a desire to help his family and others whose cancer treatment options are limited, he scoured Brock’s research landscape for cutting-edge work in cancer medicines — and found it in Newman Sze’s lab.

Sze and his team investigate cancer immunotherapy, an emerging field harnessing the body’s immune system to recognize and eliminate cancer cells, providing the potential for long-lasting therapeutic responses.

The Professor of Health Sciences and Canada Research Chair in Mechanisms of Health and Disease took Lin on as a full-time undergraduate thesis researcher for one year.

In that time, Lin gained valuable experience that will serve him well in the next steps in his educational journey and throughout his career.

He crossed the stage at Brock’s 119th Convocation on Tuesday, June 9 and is now pursuing graduate studies at McMaster University with a continued focus on cancer research.

Lin says his time in Sze’s lab — and at the University overall — nurtured his professional and personal growth.

“Brock made me a more rounded person who understands and appreciates other people’s stories, struggles and the ideas they bring to the table,” he says. “I was able to get out of my comfort zone and pursue my passion because of all the support Brock provided along the way. I would not be where I am without the support of Brock.”

Sze says Lin joined his laboratory with a “strong desire to develop research skills in this area and has consistently shown enthusiasm for learning new experimental techniques and scientific concepts.”

“Throughout his time in the lab, Ray has been a dedicated and positive team member who works well with colleagues, and I am excited to see how he continues to grow in his future career,” he says.

During his time at Brock, Lin presented his work at several conferences, including Brock’s Health Sciences research symposiums and Mapping New Knowledges, and at the Niagara Health Knowledge Institute Research Day.

He also brought his passion for health care into the community. As a long-time volunteer in Niagara Health’s Comfort Cart program, he brings supplies and companionship to patients in hospital beds.

“A lot of patients experience one of the most traumatic events in their lives by lying there alone, staring at the ceiling with nothing to do all day,” he says. “I go in the rooms, and I treat them as a friend.”

Lin continued his volunteer work on campus, spending three years working one-on-one with a participant in Brock’s Supporting Neurodiversity through Adaptive Programming (SNAP) education-based initiative.

“We’ve developed such a good friendship,” he says. “We talk about life, we sing together, we do our tasks while laughing together; it’s amazing.”

Lin also made an impact on campus as an international student ambassador, assisting and presenting at orientations, recruitment events and campus tours and hosting cultural events to combat unconscious bias in discrimination.

For these and many other accomplishments, Lin received the 2025-26 Educational Perseverance Award conferred to a Brock undergraduate student for their contribution to creating a positive and collaborative learning environment at the University.