Grace Wang and Gurleen Chahal have been named Western’s recipients of inaugural Schulich Leader Scholarships. A new national scholarship program created by Canadian business leader and philanthropist Seymour Schulich, Schulich Leaders receive four-year, $60,000 scholarships to study at one of 20 designated universities in Canada.
Wang, who graduates from A.B. Lucas Secondary School in London, next week, is entering Western’s Faculty of Science in the fall to study Biological and Medical Sciences (Scholar’s Electives Program). Winning first runner-up at the Canada-Wide Science Fair, Wang has developed three cancer research projects which she is actively investigating. In 2011, Wang placed fourth at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, recognized as the world’s largest pre-college science fair competition. Also serving as president of the London Red Cross Youth Group, Wang was Canada’s Ambassador at the 2011 Expo-Sciences Internationale in Slovakia.
Chahal comes to London this September from Sir Winston Churchill C. & V.I in Thunder Bay to study Biological and Medical Sciences (Scholar’s Electives Program), as well. The co-president and co-founder of the Doctors without Borders Club/Youth for World Change at her high school, Chahal attends university lectures when she is not reading science journals or attempting to solve “unsolvable ” math equations. Having worked with the Mayor of Thunder Bay as the youth representative on the City’s Crime Prevention Council, Chahal is also president of the Regional Youth Multicultural Council.
The Schulich Leader Scholarships annual program recognizes students across Canada who demonstrate excellence in academics and/or community leadership and who plan to study one of the STEM subjects: Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics, during their undergraduate years of study at university.
Schulich Leaders were selected from a pool of Schulich Leader Nominees who applied their nomination to the university. Every high school, secondary school and CEGEP (in Quebec) could nominate one student each to be eligible to receive the scholarship. This year there were 977 Schulich Leader Nominees.
In addition to the Canadian program, a similar Schulich Leader Scholarships program is being carried out in Israel. This historic $100 million scholarship initiative was implemented to secure the future economic competitiveness of Canada and Israel and is designed to ensure that future Canadian and Israeli leaders are among the next pioneers of global scientific research and innovation. In 2012, there will be 40 Canadian and 10 Israeli Schulich Leaders.
