A student from Newmarket is among 10 incoming students to the University of Waterloo who are recipients of prestigious Schulich Leader Scholarships.
The awards encourage them to study in science, technology, engineering or mathematics.
Josephina Kim, a graduate of Sacred Heart Catholic High School, receives $100,000 to pursue a double degree in business administration and computer science.
“I’m excited to meet like-minded people as well as those who bring unique perspectives so that we can learn from each other,” she said. “I’m also enthusiastic about Waterloo’s interactive approach with the co-op program, where I will be able to utilize what I learn in the classroom.”
Two other York Region residents are also 2023 recipients: Eric Gao of Markham and Mikael Haji of Richmond Hill.
The scholars, known as Schulich Leaders, receive $100,000 or $120,000 to go toward their university education. More than 1,400 high school students were nominated this time, with 100 becoming Schulich Leaders.
“I am delighted to welcome this year’s cohort of Schulich Leader scholars to Waterloo’s campus,” said Dr. Vivek Goel, president and vice-chancellor of Waterloo. “These students represent some of the sharpest young minds in STEM and I am excited to see the game-changing contributions they will make to society.”
In 2012, business leader and philanthropist Seymour Schulich established the scholarship fund worth more than $100 million to address the increasing importance STEM fields will have on future prosperity.
“We are proud to celebrate the continued success of Schulich Leader Scholarships, the premier STEM scholarship program in Canada,” said Seymour Schulich. “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. 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.”
Here is the full list of students who are the University of Waterloo’s 2023 Schulich Leaders:
Evie Bouganim, from Oakville and a graduate of Oakville Trafalgar High School, receives $120,000 to study mechatronics engineering.
Brandon De Lazzari, from North Vancouver and a graduate of St. Thomas More Collegiate, receives $100,000 to study physics.
Eric Gao, from Markham and a graduate of Unionville High School, receives $120,000 to study systems design engineering.
Mikael Haji, from Richmond Hill and who graduated from Secondary Virtual School, receives $120,000 to study electrical engineering.
Scott Hao, from Kitchener and a graduate of Waterloo Collegiate Institute, receives $100,000 to study computer science.
Caroline Huang, from Oakville and a graduate of Abbey Park High School, receives $100,000 to study computer science.
Mahi Joshi, from Caledon East and a graduate of Robert F. Hall Catholic Secondary School, receives $120,000 to study computer engineering.
Manasva Katyal, from Oakville, and a graduate of White Oaks Secondary School, receives $100,000 to study computer science.
Josephina Kim, from Newmarket and a graduate of Sacred Heart Catholic High School, receives $100,000 to study business administration and computer science.
Ammielle Wambo Becker, from Brampton and a graduate of École secondaire Jeunes sans frontières, receives $120,000 to study systems design engineering.
Every high school in Canada can nominate one student for the scholarship. There are 100 scholarships awarded annually for study at one of 20 partner universities in this country.
