When Canadian business leader and philanthropist Seymour Schulich established the Schulich Leader Scholarships, his goal was to provide support for leading entrepreneurially-minded students entering a STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) program at one of 20 partner universities.
Created in 2011, the scholarships have opened the doors for many outstanding students at Queen鈥檚. For the past four years, the university has attracted the maximum of four leaders.
Recently, Queen鈥檚 Schulich Leaders had the opportunity to speak with Karen Bertrand, Vice-Principal (Advancement), at a breakfast meeting at Richardson Hall. During the meeting, the students spoke about how their scholarships have provided the opportunity to pursue their studies at Queen鈥檚 as well as their experiences as recipients of the prestigious awards.
For Sonal Gupta, a 2018 Schulich Leader from Kingston, the scholarship solidified her choice of coming to Queen鈥檚 despite also wanting to explore the post-secondary world outside of her hometown. The scholarship also helped set a direction as she entered her first year of studies.
鈥淩eceiving a scholarship like this definitely instilled that feeling that Queen鈥檚 is a great school and a great community. I also believe that holding the title of Schulich Leader is not simply just a title. It鈥檚 something to attain to, it鈥檚 a responsibility to be leaders within our school and be that innovative agent of change that they are looking for,鈥 she says.
At the meeting, the Schulich Leaders had the opportunity to find out more about Vice-Principal Bertrand鈥檚 work at the university and the important connection between Queen鈥檚 and its alumni.
She was impressed by the students and their willingness to ask questions of a school administrator.
鈥淥ne of the great things about Queen鈥檚 is the calibre of students that the university attracts. Thanks to the support of the Schulich Foundation these outstanding students have chosen to attend Queen鈥檚,鈥 Vice-Principal Bertrand says. 鈥淭hese scholarship recipients are insightful, inquisitive, and eager to learn no matter the situation. It was really encouraging to have this time to meet them and hear about their backgrounds, their achievement, and their goals.鈥
The annual nationally-competitive scholarship program encourages high school students to embrace STEM in their future careers. The awards provide financial support to winners over four years of study.
This year, there were more than 1,300 Schulich Leader nominees from across Canada vying for 50 scholarships, valued at up to $100,000 each for Engineering and $80,000 for STEM-related disciplines.
For more information on the scholarships and full profiles of the Queen鈥檚 recipients visit the Schulich Leaders .
