U of T’s 2024 Schulich Leaders are ready to take on the world

Nov 18, 2024

Caleb sitting outdoors with a laptop — *2024 Schulich Leader Caleb Irwin is a self-taught computer programmer who was offered three Schulich Leader Scholarships to universities across Canada. He is now studying computer science at U of T.*

Samantha Chan was just eight years old when she decided to become an engineer.

Her parents had taken her to see Big Hero 6 – an animated superhero film starring a young robotics prodigy – and the story cemented her early passion for building machines using electrical components.

“The movie got me super excited and inspired and I begged my mom to enroll me in a robotics class,” she says. “When I learned about the bigger world of mechatronics, that’s when I knew I wanted to be an engineer.”

In high school, Chan joined the STEM Club and was mentored by a teacher who shared her passion for STEM subjects. She also dedicated time to exploring her creative and entrepreneurial interests, which include 2D animation, singing and developing a video game together with friends who brought a wide range of technical and artistic skills to the project.

Today, Chan – now 17 – is well on her way to realizing her dream of combining her love of engineering with her interests in business and creativity.

In September, she left Vancouver to begin her first year of a mechanical engineering degree at the University of Toronto as one of 10 Schulich Leaders – recipients of Canada’s most prestigious scholarships for students pursuing careers at the intersection of STEM and entrepreneurship.

“I applied for the Schulich Leader Scholarship because I liked how it prioritized leadership and entrepreneurship rather than just academic excellence,” she says. “I am incredibly grateful to have been chosen and to be part of this community; everyone is here because they want to achieve something.”

Although she’s just weeks into her degree, Chan already knows that she wants to combine her interests in engineering, creativity and business to make a big difference for the world.

“I want to go into sustainability because it’s necessary for the future,” she says. “Right now, a lot of progress being made scientifically is not accessible to the public. I want to start a business focused on creating solutions that the public can use to contribute to a more sustainable world.”

Self-taught computer programmer offered not one but three Schulich Leader Scholarships

Like Chan, Caleb Irwin – also a 2024 Schulich Leader – has been passionate about STEM since childhood. But instead of robotics, Irwin is focused on the possibilities of computer science to create elegant solutions for the world’s greatest challenges.

Being a Schulich Leader Scholar is life-changing and it’s impossible to effectively say thank you for something so big.

“I’ve always been curious about how things work, but when I started getting into computer programming around age 12, I realized how rewarding it is to see a problem and be able to fix it,” says Irwin, 18.

Being a Schulich Leader Scholar is life-changing and it’s impossible to effectively say thank you for something so big.

Growing up in the small town of Humboldt, Saskatchewan, where school-based resources for STEM learning were limited, Irwin developed his programming skills in his spare time using books he checked out from the local library.

One summer during high school, he put those skills to use at his family’s office supplies store.

“The price tag for every single item had to be updated because of inflation, which required manually finding prices in an industry database, updating the tags on the computer and printing them out individually,” he says.

Irwin’s solution? A custom designed computer program that automatically identifies the correct price, updates the label and prints it out.

“The program saved my family hundreds of hours of time and labour,” he says. “It really helped me understand the immediate and real-world impact of computer science on problems both big and small.”

When it came time to apply for university, Irwin’s self-taught achievements led to a remarkable feat: he was offered not one but three Schulich Leader Scholarships to universities across Canada.

“I chose U of T because it’s my dream school, with the best computer science program in the country,” he says. “Being a Schulich Leader Scholar is life-changing and it’s impossible to effectively say thank you for something so big.”

Every scholarship opens doors to a powerful community of networking and support

Established in 2012 by Canadian businessman Seymour Schulich, the Schulich Leader Scholarships are awarded to 100 exceptional students each year from across Canada – including 10 for incoming undergraduate students to U of T.

The scholarships – considered the most prestigious in the country – are valued at $100,000 each for science, technology and mathematics students and $120,000 each for engineering students, covering the entire cost of an undergraduate education.

Being part of the Schulich Leader community constantly reminds me of the Latin saying ‘Aut inveniam viam aut faciam’ – ‘I shall either find a way or make one.’

“The University of Toronto is deeply impressed by the achievements and aspirations of our Schulich Leaders,” says Meric Gertler, president of U of T. “We are immensely grateful to Seymour Schulich and the Schulich Foundation for investing in the success of our next generation of game-changing innovators across the STEM disciplines.”

Being part of the Schulich Leader community constantly reminds me of the Latin saying ‘Aut inveniam viam aut faciam’ – ‘I shall either find a way or make one.’

Sandy Welsh, vice provost of students at U of T, says that beyond their monetary value, the Schulich Leader Scholarships open doors to unmatched opportunities for networking and support.

“The monetary value of every Schulich Leader Scholarship is unmatched in Canada, but what makes these awards extra special is the community that comes with them,” she says.

“Every incoming Schulich Leader automatically becomes part of a network of scholars – those still at U of T and those who have graduated – who encourage one another, share ideas, create access to invaluable contacts and so much more. The result is generations of STEM leaders fully supported to achieve their most ambitious goals.”

Chan agrees. “Being part of the Schulich Leader community constantly reminds me of the Latin saying ‘Aut inveniam viam aut faciam’ – ‘I shall either find a way or make one.’ It has shown me that if I really put my mind to something, I can achieve it.”

Meet U of T’s 2024 Schulich Leaders:

Ammar Ahmad, Computer Engineering 2024

Hailing from southwestern Ontario, Ammar Ahmad has a strong interest in software engineering and hopes to specialize in artificial intelligence and machine learning. While still in high school, he undertook an internship at the University of Waterloo where he developed a health informatics app to collect and analyze public opinions on health topics from social media. He also organized and led a 100-attendee hackathon hosted at the Accelerator Centre.

Arche Boryshkevych, Computer Science 2024

With a strong interest in technology leadership, Arche Boryshkevych had a unique opportunity to join the Inspirit AI Scholars Program in Palo Alto, California, during his final year of high school, where he worked on a project using machine learning to predict long-term stock market trends. He is also the founding leader of the PrivacyCap Security Club, teen ambassador for Canada Learning Code and an ambassador for Inspirit AI. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, hiking and volunteering.

Caleb Irwin, Computer Science 2024

Caleb Irwin grew up in a small farming town in Saskatchewan, where he taught himself computer programming. Now a first-year computer science student at U of T, he hopes to explore how his skills can contribute to advancements in climate solutions and space.

Connor Jantzi, Electrical Engineering 2024

While attending high school in Elmira, Ontario, Connor Jantzi was actively involved with a robotics team and won both the Canada Wide Science Fair and the Waterloo Wellington Science and Engineering Fair. Passionate about business and problem solving, he also started his own business helping to bring farm fresh eggs to his local community. In his spare time, Jantzi enjoys playing sports and mountain biking.

Jonathan Li, Computer Science 2024

As a student at Kingston Secondary School, Jonathan Li co-founded Riftium – a web design firm dedicated to building websites for businesses. He also worked for Queen’s University as a software developer and machine learning research associate, all before graduating high school. In June 2024, Li launched Portal Wear, a T-shirt startup that he continues to manage while pursuing a computer science degree at U of T.

Julia Sinclair, Computer Science 2024

Hailing from Scarborough, Ontario, Julia Sinclair was the leader of her high school’s Physics Club, co-founder and leader of the Business Club, leader of the Math Club and a student film director, among other pursuits. She has experience working as a project manager for STEAMLabs, a science and tech education company, as well as leading projects focused on robotics and computer science. She hopes to pursue a career in software development and project management.

Noah Vig-Fernandes, Computer Science 2024

Passionate about both computer science and music, Noah Vig-Fernandes pursued both interests while growing up in Pickering, Ontario. An accomplished pianist and composer who plays in a jazz band, Vig-Fernandes hopes to build a career exploring technology-based solutions to key challenges in healthcare, education and cybersecurity.

Phalguni Nandakumar, Computer Engineering 2024

While growing up in Guelph, Ontario, Phalguni Nandakumar extensively pursued her interests in computer coding and other STEM subjects – including serving as a teen ambassador with Canada Learning Code, working as a STEM Leader and inclusion worker with the Guelph Neighbourhood Support Coalition, founding the start-up Creative Coding and more. In her spare time she enjoys hiking and making pottery.

Samantha Chan, Mechanical Engineering 2024

Hailing from Hong Kong and Vancouver, Samantha Chan has been passionate about mechatronics since childhood. While attending Little Flower Academy in Vancouver, she led the STEAM and Physics Olympics team and explored her passion for leadership as a member of the Model UN Leader Secretariat team and One World One Heart leadership team. She is also interested in science, history, singing, fencing and 2D animation.

Srijit Iyer, Engineering Science 2024

While attending high school in London, Ontario, Srijit Iyer launched a consulting business helping start-ups navigate the world of cryptocurrency and NFT. He also founded an influencer management agency, working with global brands such as TikTok Canada and Sony Music and helping influencers maximize their potential across different platforms. He is now excited to pursue his dual interests in engineering and entrepreneurism as an engineering science student at U of T.