Announcing our 2021 Scholarship winners

My name Yusra Saifuddin, I graduated this year from Bloor Collegiate Institute and am attending Electrical & Comptuer Engineering at the University of Toronto. Going into high school, I had no idea what kind of career I wanted to pursue in the future. My interest in STEM sparked after I did my science fair project in grade 9 on the efficiency of renewable energy sources. I was amazed by many things I learned through other projects and all the significant connections they have to our everyday lives. Volunteering as a Youth Facilitator with Visions of Science the past two years, I had the opportunity to deliver weekly STEM modules for youth and refugees living in marginalized communities and encourage them to explore and pursue STEM. As gender gaps still exist within many STEM fields, I hope to use my experiences to inspire younger generations of youth, especially females, towards this evolving field. Aside from my interests within STEM, I also have a huge passion for traveling and visiting new places! I am looking forward to traveling to more countries in the future when the effects of COVID-19 allow.

This year, I graduated from Harrison Trimble High School in Moncton, New Brunswick, and I am attending Computer Engineering at the University of Toronto. I became interested in computers through my father, who encouraged me to build pieces of the latest technology myself instead of simply buying them. I also enjoy performing on the piano, which has been helped me when stressed during my education. Pursuing my true passions also allows me to help others including my community at Holy Family Church. I will continue to play the piano, but for a career, I believe I can achieve my dreams as a computer engineer.

Hello! I’m Sophia and I graduated from William Lyon Mackenzie Collegiate Institute in Toronto, Ontario. I am attending the University of Waterloo for Software Engineering. I was first captivated by tech during my high-school computer science classes. I worked on so many fun projects including coding a driving simulation game. I found the feeling of bringing a vision to life to be exhilarating and fulfilling. Ever since, I’ve wanted to study tech because I love its innovation, creativity, and potential to create meaningful change on a large scale. One day, I hope to use programming and artificial intelligence to improve healthcare throughout the world. When I’m not coding, I love to pursue visual arts. I enjoy drawing, painting, creating digital art, and learning about all forms of art.

I graduated from Sir Charles Tupper Secondary School in Vancouver, British Columbia, and I am now in the Faculty of Science at the University of British Columbia. As a first-generation, low-income youth, I quickly learned the value of a dollar and never had the opportunity to use the latest technologies. However, when I received my first laptop in grade ten, I fell in love with programming because I could create fun games and websites from scratch. In my free time, I am currently exploring the creative freedoms and challenging problems associated with web development. Outside of programming, I am also an avid indoor volleyball player looking forward to playing in university intramurals. Lastly, I would like to thank the staff at the Kensington Community Centre for always encouraging me to be a difference-maker and a team player.

I graduated from Richview Collegiate Institute and I am now a freshman at the University of Toronto pursuing a Bachelor of Applied Science in Engineering. While in high school, I hosted my school’s Black History Month assembly, and created an extensive resource page for students and teachers. Although I’m not the best, I really enjoy music, I play the piano, sing and like to learn dances too. I’m an innovator at The Knowledge Society, working on enhancing my knowledge of technology, I am fascinated by Augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and the internet of things. I want to contribute to my community by empowering and introducing girls, especially those of colour, to the endless possibilities of STEM as well as have a start-up that creates innovative technology to help those with disabilities.

My name is Shivam Jindal. I graduated from St. Francis Xavier Secondary School in Mississauga, Ontario and I’m currently pursuing Software Engineering at the University of Waterloo. When I was in grade 11, I completed the CS50’s Introduction to Game Development course offered virtually by Harvard University and I was fascinated by all the interesting programming concepts and their applications in the games that we developed. In particular, it sparked my interest in the field of artificial intelligence and machine learning, so much so that in the future, I hope to establish my own startup in this area that will lead the way in fields such as fully autonomous transportation or artificial intelligence in healthcare. At the end of the day, regardless of what awaits or where life takes me, I hope that I can use what I have been given to make a positive impact in the lives of those around me: My family, My friends, and eventually, the world as a whole. P.S. That’s me on the right!

I graduated from Agincourt Collegiate Institute in Scarborough, Ontario and I am attending the University of Waterloo for Mechatronics Engineering. My passion for tech was ignited by my high school’s FIRST robotics team. It taught me how engineers solve important issues by playing with cool toys and gadgets. Although my career plan is currently a blank canvas, I want to paint it as I explore the wide range of fascinating technologies from machine learning to tree-planting drones. When I am not pouring my soul into technology, I love to travel, before the pandemic I went horseback riding on the emerald carpets of Inner Mongolia before the pandemic.

I graduated from École Secondaire Roméo Dallaire in Barrie, Ontario and I am attending Engineering Science at the University of Toronto. I have always been fascinated by the inner workings of computers and enjoy taking them apart. Learning to program them opened a whole world of opportunities for me. I am particularly interested in machine learning and how it can be applied to help people’s day-to-day lives. When I am not programming, I enjoy playing chess and lead the chess club I started at my school.