For nearly 15 years, Schulich Leader Scholarships have helped exceptional students across the country pursue their ambitions in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
This year, Dalhousie marks a milestone in its Schulich Leaders history. Chinazam Igwe, a first-year computer science student, and Joseph Fay, a first-year engineering student, are the university’s newest Schulich Leaders and Dal’s 49th and 50th students to receive the prestigious scholarship since the program began in 2012.
Chinazam and Joseph were among the 100 students selected from a pool of 350,000 graduating high school students and 1,300 nominations. Their arrival brings Dalhousie’s Schulich Leaders community to 50 students across Engineering, Science and Computer Science.
A scholarship with a purpose
Established by Canadian businessman and philanthropist Seymour Schulich in 2012, Schulich Leader Scholarships were created to identify and support promising students pursuing undergraduate studies in STEM fields.
Today, the program awards 100 scholarships each year at 20 partner universities across Canada. The scholarships provide significant financial support throughout a recipient’s undergraduate degree, giving students greater freedom to focus on their education and pursue opportunities that will help shape their future.
“Schulich Leader Scholarships help Canada’s leading universities identify and support exceptional STEM students with the potential to become tomorrow’s innovators, entrepreneurs and industry leaders,” says Judy Schulich, President of The Schulich Foundation. “As these scholars develop groundbreaking ideas and create new opportunities, it is important that Canada continues to foster an environment where talent can thrive.”
Meet Dalhousie’s newest Schulich Leaders
Chinazam Igwe, Computer Science
Chinazam, a graduate of Harrison Trimble High School (Moncton, N.B.), is a recipient of the $100,000 Schulich Leader Scholarship. She has long combined an interest in technology with creativity, building websites as a teenager and later gaining work-integrated experience that deepened her curiosity about computer science and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence. When it came time to choose a university, Dalhousie stood out as a place where she could pursue these interests.
Joseph Fay, Engineering
Joseph, a graduate of Sackville High School (Sackville, N.S.), is a recipient of the $120,000 Schulich Leader Scholarship. A self-directed learner, Joseph was homeschooled from Grades 3-8. In Grade 12, he discovered that he needed chemistry to apply for engineering at university, so he taught himself the course material and sat the exam along with everyone else. Now in his first year at Dalhousie, he is exploring different engineering disciplines and has a particular interest in mechanical engineering and entrepreneurship.