Ten years of Schulich Leaders at Dal: Meet this year's recipients of Canada's top undergraduate STEM scholarship

The Schulich Leader Scholarship program was founded ten years ago with the vision of creating the next generation of tech-minded innovators.Dalhousie has been fortunate enough to host 28 Schulich Leaders during that stretch, one of just 20 Canadian universities included in the program each year.Schulich Leader scholarships are among the most coveted in Canada for young minds in STEM (science, tech, engineering and math) fields. Recipients are leaders on campus as students and leaders in their fields as graduates.Of the $540,000 in scholarship funding Dal received this year through the program, $100,000 goes to three incoming engineering students and $80,000 to three science, technology, or math students.

Get to know Dal’s 2021 Schulich Leaders below

Mattie Leslie-Toogood, Science (Winnipeg, Manitoba)

Why did you choose your program of study and what excites you most about it?

I love the sciences because there’s really no finish line. There’s an infinite number of opportunities for discovery and improvement. We’ll never run out of ways to learn about ourselves, the planet or even the universe. Pursuing a career in science will provide these experiences daily alongside a lot of other growth opportunities. I really love this idea of new and unexpected challenges.

What drew you to Dal?

Dalhousie is the first school I applied to, actually. I just really loved the whole community aspect of it. I had a really hard time choosing which university to go to. Of course, the scholarship really helped with that decision. Even talking to people at the school in administration or when I was looking on the website, Dalhousie was always really emphasizing the community aspect of going to university, and I always really liked that.

What are you most looking forward to about being on campus?

I’m really excited to explore a new city. I’m also really excited to form a new community with my peers and professors and being given an opportunity to continue exercising my love for learning.

Who or what inspires you?

What inspires me is really helping other people and making their lives easier, even in the smallest way really. The idea of challenge also really drives me. I love trying new things, and I strive to always take that step out of my comfort zone.

What have you been binge watching or reading this summer?

I’ve been watching a lot of Netflix. I’m currently binge-watching Criminal Minds and I’ve been re-watching Friends a lot. I was also re-reading Harry Potter this summer.

Sundaram Biwas, Engineering (St. John’s, N.L.)

Why did you choose your program of study and what excites you most about it?

I’m going into computer engineering because I’ve been fascinated with computers and electronics ever since I was a kid. I wonder how I can make things better and there’s always a hands-on approach to what you do in this field. I’ve mainly been interested in autonomous or self-driving electric vehicles. I like working with programming languages and databases to create features that can make a vehicle more efficient, safe or comfortable.

What drew you to Dal?

Dal caught my eye because friends and relatives spoke very highly of it, even if they went to other schools. My father was interested in my going to Dal because it has such a great engineering reputation and I’d be able to work with other experts in the field outside of school.

What are you most looking forward to about being on campus?

When we went into lockdown in March 2020, it became mainly up to us to learn on our own and be prepared for university. That was a difficult challenge. I studied calculus and chemistry on my own over the summer to not fall behind in terms of preparation for university. It will be good to just be back in classes.

Who or what inspires you?

My mother inspires me because she works in childcare and home support, so she works eight hours a day, five days a week, then comes home and takes care of me and my brother. She’s been an inspiration to work hard and achieve your dreams.

What have you been binge watching or reading this summer?

I’m not a huge TV person but when lockdown happened, I was watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine and The Office so those are the two shows that were really enjoyable. It was a good way to spend time. When I got the Schulich scholarship they gave us a book, so I’ve been reading that. Mainly I am interested in Schulich’s life story and how he made decisions, finding out about his thought process. I was offered a scholarship from two universities, and I used Schulich’s method to look at positives and negatives, and Dal had way more positives, so that’s how I decided to go to Dalhousie.

Nicole Jones, Science (Moncton, N.B.)

Why did you choose your program of study and what excites you most about it?

When I was thinking about applying to universities, I wanted something differen, and Dalhousie’s Integrated Science Program (DISP) was the thing that excited me and caught my attention the most. I’ve been very curious my whole life. I have a lot of different interests and DISP will expose me to a lot of different things in a way that I wouldn’t be able to have in a normal first year. The field trips are an added bonus! What excites me about the program is that I get to explore all these different options and do a research project. It’s a smaller class size as well, so it’ll be easier to meet people that way.

What drew you to Dal?

DISP was the only program that I saw of its kind. Also, Halifax is an amazing city. I was drawn to the bigger city. I’m from Moncton so it’s smaller. But Halifax still has that nice Maritime feel, people will wave to you on the street.I visited recently and it was my first time seeing the Dal campus because of the pandemic!

What are you most looking forward to about being on campus?

I think it’s really about meeting new people. It’s something I haven’t been able to do for the past year. I’m excited to live in residence and get to know the people on my floor and in the building. I’m also excited to be able to use the facilities, the labs, for example. I had the opportunity to use university labs at a summer youth program at U of T in 2018 and it was incredible. I am excited to experience that type of energy again.

Who or what inspires you?

My parents inspire me quite a bit. They’ve always encouraged me to be the best I can be without putting pressure on me. They want me to excel, just not at the expense of my own well-being.

What have you been binge watching or reading this summer?

Lately I’m into fiction so I’ve been reading The Song of Achilles, a retelling of the Greek myth. I also just watched a documentary, Fantastic Fungi. I loved how they talked about using fungus as a natural pesticide or to clean up environmental damage. It was mind-blowing and an area that’s so unexplored. The information itself was interesting, and the storytelling made it more so.

Ewan Glover, Engineering (Hatchet Lake, N.S.)

Why did you choose your program of study and what excites you most about it?

I’ve always had an interest in trying to figure things out: taking things apart, putting them back together, asking “What does this do? How does this work?” So when I was looking at subjects to study at university, engineering and computer science were givens for me. I went with engineering thanks to my grade 11 electrotechnology teacher. I took his class on a whim and I got to build controls systems and do robotics projects. I’m interested in mechanical and electrical engineering, but I’m leaning more towards mechanical. I want to do something that hasn’t even been thought of yet.

What drew you to Dal?

I’m from near Halifax, so it’s local. Growing up when I thought about “university” I thought about Dalhousie. Then the more I looked into it, the more I realized how great of a school it was. To me Dal was always one of my first choices.

What are you most looking forward to about being on campus?

I’ve been home for so long! I’m really just looking forward to being back in school, to seeing everyone. I’m also looking forward to meeting people who share my interests and passions.

Who or what inspires you?

I’m inspired by anything that makes me go “That’s pretty cool!” I’m also inspired by my electrotechnology teacher—his energy is unmatched. He has such a passion for his teaching. My physics teacher definitely inspires me. They just love to teach, they love what they do, and I hope I can love what I do as much as they do.

What have you been binge watching or reading this summer?

I’ve been binge watching Schitt’s Creek. I’m quite into anime. People think “It’s just cartoons” but I get really invested in it. The stories are really captivating. There’s one called Dr. Stone about a high school kid who wakes up to a world that’s been turned to stone for 3000 years. He’s really smart and tries to reinvent and rebuild the world.

Alex Petkov, Science (Annapolis Valley, N.S.)

Why did you choose your program of study and what excites you most about it?

I chose Science because it’s the most interesting to me. I feel like I will have very good job prospects. I’ve always had some interest in math, chemistry and biology. That’s why I chose Bachelor of Science, and I plan to major in Chemistry. It’s the subject I am the best at and most interested in. I like lab work, hands-on learning and stuff like that.

What drew you to Dal?

I chose Dal in part so that I could live away from home, but not too far away, so I can come home for holidays and whatnot. It’s also a very good school. It’s one of the top universities in Canada and the top in Atlantic Canada. It has a good Science faculty, so that was also a big factor.

What are you most looking forward to about being on campus?

I’m looking forward to being in residence in first year and meeting different people. I look forward to having classes that are all science based. I’m in the integrated Science program, so I don’t have to take electives from other Faculties. I’ll be very focused on my interests compared to high school, for example.

I hope to join a club or society where they speak French so that I can practice speaking the language. I also want to join an entrepreneurship society of club, but I haven’t looked into specifics yet.

Who or what inspires you?

I want to live a happy life. I want to have a job that I enjoy doing because I’m going to spend the majority of my life working, so I might as well choose something that works well with me.

I’ve always enjoyed fiddling with electronics and making stuff. Engineering and creating something new. That inspires me.

What have you been binge watching or reading this summer?

I’ve been binge-watching the Lord of the Rings movies and The Hobbit. They are long movies but very good. I have seen them multiple times before, and I’ve read the books. I really like fantasy and also stories from the medieval time period — that’s my favourite time period in history.

Mary Macinnis, Engineering (Sydney, N.S.)

Why did you choose your program of study and what excites you most about it?

I think I chose Engineering because I’m an indecisive person. I couldn’t really just put my finger on one thing, and I think Engineering gives me the chance to explore different avenues, and I don’t have to be stuck with just one thing for the rest of my life.

What drew you to Dal?

It’s close enough to home that I can come back when I want, but also get a big-city experience. I also think the Engineering program is really great there compared to other schools. It’s very competitive. I just knew it was my top choice since the beginning of high school.

What are you most looking forward to about being on campus?

I probably want to get involved with some societies and extracurriculars outside of my schooling. I think it’s really important to be involved in the community and not just your studies. It makes you have a better experience and learn more.

I’m definitely passionate about the issue of plastic in the ocean. I would like to put a stop to that if I could or at least lessen the amount. Anything to do with the environment, really.

Who or what inspires you?

I think I inspire myself to do the best for me because I want to make a change in the world and make it better. As long as I keep preparing myself and stay on top of things, I know that it will be better for me in the long run.

What have you been binge watching or reading this summer?

Lately, I’ve been really into mystery novels and movies and thrillers. I also did just read Where the Crawdads Sing [by Delia Owens] and that is one of my new favourite books. I think it will definitely be a classic in the future.