Kezia Johnson
Nathan Stachow
Two students will begin their studies at York University this fall with prestigious Schulich Leader Scholarships, awarded annually to encourage promising scholars who are also active in their communities to pursue careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics).
Nathan Stachow, recipient of a $100,000 Schulich Leader Scholarship, will attend York’s Lassonde School of Engineering. A graduate of the Virtual Learning Centre, a distance-learning school based in Lindsay, Ont., Stachow was able to pursue a work placement with a local land-surveying firm while taking his high school courses online. He hopes to become a geomatics engineer and land surveyor and to assist First Nations communities in Ontario.
Kezia Johnson, recipient of an $80,000 Schulich Leader Scholarship, will enter the Department of Biology in York’s Faculty of Science. She is a graduate of Francis Libermann Catholic High School in Toronto, where she was the student leader in the school’s tutoring club. She is passionate about science and math, as well as social justice and the environment.
Both Stachow and Johnson were selected for as Schulich Leaders for outstanding academic achievements, as well as their many extra-curricular activities.
More than 270 students across Canada have benefited from the Schulich Leader scholarships since the program was created in 2011 by Canadian business leader and philanthropist Seymour Schulich. This year, there were over 1,300 Schulich Leader nominees from across Canada vying for 50 scholarships, valued at up to $100,000 each. Each university selects the Schulich Leaders for their institution.
“Schulich Leader Scholarship recipients are the best and brightest STEM students in Canada,” says Schulich. “I truly believe that many of these students 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, extra-curriculars and entrepreneurial ventures. They are the next generation of technology innovators.”