Four new first-year students at the University of Waterloo have won Schulich Leader Scholarships, which encourage them to embrace science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) disciplines in their future careers.
Winners are known as Schulich Leaders, and they receive between $80,000 and $100,000 towards their university education. Waterloo is one of five universities across Canada to award four scholarships instead of the usual two because the University has a high number of interested and qualifying students for these prestigious awards.
“Schulich Leader scholarship recipients are the best and brightest STEM students in Canada,” said Seymour Schulich, Canadian business leader and philanthropist. “I truly believe that many of these students will make great contributions to society, both on a national and global scale. With their university expenses covered, they can focus their time on their studies, research projects, extracurriculars, and entrepreneurial ventures. They are the next generation of technology innovators.”
The following are the University of Waterloo’s 2017 Schulich Leaders:
- Alina Arvisais, Canmore, Alta.: Biochemistry, $80,000
- Cameron Bardell, Belleville, Ont.: Physics, $80,000
- Mickey Dang, Mississauga, Ont.: Systems Design Engineering, $100,000
- Emma Lozhkin, Toronto, Ont.: Computer Engineering, $100,000
“Through these generous scholarships, the Schulich Foundation is expanding participation in STEM fields, while giving these worthy recipients the freedom to fully immerse themselves in the campus experience,” said Feridun Hamdullahpur, president and vice-chancellor of Waterloo. “We are delighted to welcome these exceptional students to our community.”
This year, there were more than 1,300 Schulich Leader nominees from across Canada vying for 50 scholarships. Since the program’s inception, 270 students have received this celebrated scholarship.