Grade twelve students at Strathcona Tweedsmuir School will embark on new adventures after crossing the stage for graduation this year.

Brothers, Raymond and Brian Olsen will be following their mother's footsteps, heading to Minsk to study medicine at Belarusian State Medical University.

"We're going into medicine preparatory year, so we'll be focusing on biology, chemistry and the russian language. At the end of the year, we take tests based on those three classes, which determines if we will be accepted into the six years of medical school that they have over there," said Raymond.

The Olsen brothers are only 13 months apart, raised by a single mother who also practices medicine, and they say they wouldn't be where they are today if it weren't for her support and determination.

" We're very excited to learn Russian and know it, and meet new friends," Raymond said.

The boys' mother originated from a village about an hour away from where chernobyl occurred, and attended the very same university her sons are venturing to.

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