Kris (Larsen) Woldu

My two older brothers attended Brentwood, and I fell in love with the campus and the sense of community from our very first tour, when my oldest brother, Michael, was entering 10th grade. There were so many activities and opportunities to be involved in that I couldn’t wait to try them all.

I especially loved the view of the ocean. Throughout my years on campus, looking out at that beautiful view often became a time for reflection and perspective.

To me, Brentwood is a place of opportunity—a place where you are encouraged to try new things, discover what you love, and feel supported along the way. I loved my time there, and the experiences and memories I made at Brentwood have stayed with me.

I was particularly close to Mr. Cooper and Ms. Widemaier, and I spent countless hours with them playing piano, singing, and performing on stage. They were supportive and patient, while also pushing me to reach my true potential. They both had a wonderful sense of honour and were deeply devoted to their students at Brentwood. They made me feel confident and special, and their encouragement helped foster my love of the arts—a passion I continue to carry with me today.

Mr. Pennells was also particularly impactful in the classroom as my biology teacher. He instilled in me a love of science that has stayed with me throughout my life, and his wonderful sense of humour made learning so much fun. As a university counsellor, he also encouraged and supported me as I pursued my goal of applying to top universities in the United States and Canada.

Mr. Martin was my geography teacher and my field hockey coach. He helped me go from never having played field hockey to making the First XI in just one year. The Lins were my Houseparents, and I spent countless hours with them as my surrogate parents, helping me work through homesickness and serving as a sounding board during challenging times. Their support and care meant so much to me and were an important part of making Brentwood feel like home.

There are so many Brentwood memories that it is hard to choose just a few. Living in Mackenzie House was so much fun, and the closeness of living with friends day and night made those friendships especially fast and deep. I loved having the opportunity to excel both on the sports field and in the arts without having to choose between the two, as is often the case in other settings. Brentwood encouraged us to become well-rounded individuals, both in the classroom and beyond. As Head Girl, I had the opportunity to lead the Executive Council, which strengthened my leadership skills and gave me a lasting appreciation for the responsibility and privilege of leading others. I look back on those years as some of the most wonderful and impactful of my life.

Brentwood is where we grew from children into young adults. We learned to find our voices and to speak, listen, and interact with respect for our teachers, mentors, and one another. We were encouraged to try new things, take risks, and, most importantly, not give up when things were difficult. We also learned that we had a whole community of people at Brentwood who were there to support us in addition to our families and friends. We fondly referred to it as the “Brentwood bubble,” and that bubble is something we carried with us as we set out on our own journeys. Brentwood was a stepping stone to the next goals and challenges in our lives, but it also gave us the foundation, confidence, and resilience we needed to take those next steps.

During my summers at Brentwood and after graduation, I travelled with the Canadian leadership groups Me to We and WE Charity on volunteer journeys to India, Thailand, and the Maasai Mara in Kenya. I eventually became a group leader in the Maasai Mara. These experiences broadened my understanding of the world and deepened my desire to pursue medicine and help those in need.

After graduating from Brentwood, I moved to New York City to attend Columbia University, where I studied neuroscience and completed my pre-medical studies. I went on to attend medical school at Columbia, followed by my pediatrics residency and fellowship in pediatric cardiology there as well. I loved my time in New York City—it is still the place I have lived the longest in my life.

I met my husband, Solomon, during the first week of medical school, and we were married just a few short weeks after graduation. He went on to become a urologic oncology surgeon, and I am incredibly grateful for his unwavering support throughout the demanding journey of medical training and now in our careers.

In pursuing my career in medicine, I found no specialty more intellectually stimulating and emotionally rewarding than pediatrics. Understanding the evolving pathophysiology of disease in children—from the first day of life through infancy, childhood, adolescence, and into young adulthood—captivated me. Throughout my training, I have cherished the duty, responsibility, and privilege a pediatrician assumes when a parent places their child’s life in our hands. I continually strive to be worthy of that trust and to help give each child the healthy future they deserve.

Nowhere have I found more fascinating pathophysiology or a greater ability to make a meaningful difference in children’s lives than in pediatric cardiology. Understanding the physics and physiology of a malformed heart and accurately counselling a family through an initial diagnosis can have an immeasurable impact on the care of both patients and their families. Fetal echocardiography is particularly powerful because it not only allows us to diagnose congenital heart disease in utero, giving families invaluable time to prepare and connect with their medical team before birth, but can also provide opportunities to alter the course of disease.

Within pediatric cardiology, I completed an advanced imaging fellowship with a focus on fetal cardiology, transesophageal echocardiography, and complex congenital echocardiography. Today, I read echocardiograms for the hospital, go to the operating room to perform transesophageal echocardiograms before and after surgery, and perform fetal echocardiograms to diagnose congenital heart disease before birth. Being the first person to tell a family that there is a problem with their unborn child and to help them understand what that diagnosis means is an incredibly powerful and intimate responsibility. It is never easy, but I try my hardest to let families know that they are not facing it alone—that this is a road we will embark on together.

Outside of work, I am a mother to three amazing children: Lukas, who is almost 10, Tomas, who is 7, and Charlotte, who is 6. Being a two-physician family certainly comes with its logistical challenges, but we make it work! Parenting these wonderful kids involves lots of sports games, dance recitals, piano lessons, and, most importantly, lots of laughs. We have found a wonderful community in Fort Worth, Texas, and we are incredibly lucky to have both sets of grandparents and some cousins nearby. We love watching movies, running, biking, and travelling together as a family.

Our children attend an amazing school that feels very similar to Brentwood in many ways. I have become especially involved in working with other parents to raise awareness about the potential downsides of early exposure to social media and smartphones. In many ways, this work has brought me full circle: just as Brentwood helped shape the person I became, I hope to help create a supportive community where today’s children have the opportunity to grow, explore, and develop before being pulled too quickly into the digital world.

To the students at Brentwood, I would encourage you to take advantage of every opportunity the School provides. Try art and sculpture, play soccer and row, and get up on stage. Be brave, commit yourself, and don’t be afraid to try something new. Learn from the teachers who are not only committed to your learning in the classroom, but also to your development as a person outside of it. And when you eventually leave Brentwood, know that you will always have a community of people who are there for you. Carry that Brentwood bubble with you—it will be a foundation you draw on throughout your life.