Ten incoming first-year Queen’s students are receiving , the largest and most prestigious STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) scholarships in Canada.
Out of a pool of 350,000 potential candidates across Canada, more than 1,400 students were nominated, with 100 recipients receiving this award and 10 choosing to attend Queen’s.
This year, the value of the scholarship has increased to address the rising cost of living in Canada. Of the 100 recipients, 50 will receive $120,000 to pursue an engineering degree and 50 will receive $100,000 to pursue a science or math degree at 20 Canadian partner universities.
The 10 recipients attending Queen’s are:
- Sarena Sandhu, Kingston, Ont.
- Paul Wu, Nanaimo, B.C.
- Leila Salem, London, Ont.
- Keegan Amos, Trenton, Ont.
- Elliott Vince, Merlin, Ont.
- Qwin Goodwin, Bancroft, Ont.
- Ishaan Grewal, Calgary, Alb.
- Oliver Lynn, Kingston, Ont.
- Raymond Guo, Barrie, Ont.
- Torrin Bigrigg, Brantford, Ont.
The scholarships were started by Seymour Schulich, one of Canada’s most generous philanthropists who regularly donates to higher education.
“On behalf of the university, I want to congratulate these highly accomplished students,” says Ann Tierney, Vice-Provost and Dean of Student Affairs. “We look forward to welcoming them to campus, and supporting them as they pursue their studies, and build on their skills and experience that will prepare them to have a positive impact in the world. We are grateful to the Schulich Foundation for its continued support of Queen’s and post-secondary education.”
Schulich says this year’s group of scholars are the future Canadian business leaders and tech entrepreneurs who will make a tremendous impact on society.
“We are proud to celebrate the continued success of Schulich Leader Scholarships, the premiere STEM scholarship program in Canada. This group of outstanding students will represent the best and brightest Canada has to offer and will make great contributions to society, both on a national and global scale,” says program founder Mr. Schulich. “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 entrepreneurial-minded, technology innovators.”
Incoming Schulich Leader Paul Wu says the scholarship is not just about the money. “To me very importantly it’s the network of more than 1,000 of some of the smartest people in Canada,” Wu told a . “After I won the scholarship, I’ve been talking, connecting, sharing ideas with many of these people and they’re all incredibly brilliant.”
This year, Queen’s will be hosting the annual Schulich Leader SLXCA Conference for leaders from the Montreal, Kingston, and Ottawa area on Sept. 23. The leaders will gather to network, learn from keynote speakers, share experiences, and work together to solve problems.
The connection between Schulich and Queen’s goes beyond the scholars program, Schulich has made generous donations to Queen’s in the past, including the , which he established in 2015 with then-Queen’s Principal Daniel Woolf, Artsci’80. The collection combines more than 400 rare books for their personal collections. Schulich also made a significant financial gift towards the establishment, growth, and preservation of the collection.
