When Grace Marcoux (B.Eng.’18) became a Schulich Leader in 2013, her life took several turns.
One of them was her decision to attend Memorial University.
“I was set to go to another university before I received the Schulich offer,” said Ms. Marcoux, adding that the discovery of Memorial’s Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science process engineering program, with the prestigious scholarship in hand, sealed the deal.
“By doing the engineering co-op program, I gained work experience that directly led to my job post-graduation. Having the support of the Schulich community also helped me to network with peers across the country, and mentor other new university students.”
Dramatic effect
Cole Walsh (B.Sc.(Hons.)’16) became a Schulich Leader in 2012, and says he is thankful for the support from the Schulich Foundation.
He remembers driving to the post office every day, eagerly hoping to find a letter telling him he’d been selected.
“Sure enough, one day the letter was there,” he said.
“I rushed home to tell my family, and I was just on top of the world. But it wasn’t until much later that I realized how receiving the scholarship would dramatically affect my university and life experiences.”
Like many students beginning their university education, Mr. Walsh says knowing that the Schulich Foundation believed in him gave him the courage to get through his degree.
“Even now, nine years later, I have access to this great network of people who I regularly connect with and can hopefully give back to in some way. Without that support, I wonder if I would’ve pursued the educational opportunities that I did.”
Flourishing in life
Ms. Marcoux spent more than three years working with PepsiCo in a number of roles at two different facilities in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
This included time as a production supervisor and maintenance supervisor with Pepsi Beverages and as quality supply chain leader at their Frito Lay facility. She recently returned to Newfoundland and Labrador to begin a new position as packaging group manager with Labatt Breweries in St. John’s.
“Schulich Leaders will be the engine that drives prosperity for our country.”
Mr. Walsh recently began a new position as a psychometrician at Altus Assessments.
Altus is responsible for the CASPer test for medical schools; it’s a situational judgment test used to measure respondents’ personal and professional competencies. Respondents’ answers to the ethical dilemmas presented on CASPer are scored by human raters.
“I’m exploring machine learning and artificial intelligence projects centred on CASPer,” said Mr. Walsh, who has worked in education and assessment since his time as a PhD student at Cornell University. Recently, he successfully defended his thesis.
Empowering entrepreneurship
Schulich Leader Scholarships, Canada’s premier science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) scholarship program, has been supporting Canada’s top entrepreneurial-minded technology innovators for 10 years.
One hundred undergraduate scholarships are awarded annually across 20 Canadian universities, including Memorial University, with a value of $100,000 or $80,000 per award.
“Already we are seeing the incredible impact that Schulich Leaders are having in our communities.”
“It’s gratifying that this important and meaningful investment in the future of Canada is off to a strong start,” said Seymour Schulich, the program’s founder.
“Schulich Leaders will be the engine that drives prosperity for our country. We look forward to supporting exceptional students pursuing their STEM education for many years to come.”
Dr. Vianne Timmons echoed the endorsement of the Schulich Foundation’s contribution and the importance of this partnership for Memorial.
“We are extremely proud to be a partner university with the Schulich Foundation and applaud their amazing work to support student success,” President Timmons said.
“Already we are seeing the incredible impact that Schulich Leaders are having in our communities, thanks to the life-changing opportunities created by the Schulich Leader Scholarships program. We congratulate and sincerely thank the Schulich Foundation for a decade of supporting Memorial and post-secondary institutions across Canada.”
About Schulich Leader Scholarships Canada
Recognizing the increasing importance and impact that STEM disciplines will have on the prosperity of future generations, businessman and philanthropist Seymour Schulich established this $200-million scholarship fund in 2012 to encourage our best and brightest students to become Schulich Leader Scholars: the next generation of entrepreneurial-minded, technology innovators.
Through the Schulich Foundation, these prestigious entrance scholarships are awarded to 100 high school graduates enrolling in a science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) undergraduate program at 20 partner universities in Canada. Due to the increased financial strain due to COVID-19, the number of scholarships was doubled from 50 to 100 starting in 2020. Every high school in Canada can submit one Schulich Leader nominee per academic year based on academic excellence in STEM, entrepreneurial leadership and financial need.
If you’re a company looking to hire Canada’s top STEM talent, please learn more about recruiting Schulich Leaders here. For more information on the 10th anniversary of the Schulich Leader Scholarships, visit schulichleaders10.com.
