New UVic Students Receive Schulich Leader Scholarships

Schulich Leader Scholarships have awarded two University of Victoria undergraduate students each a $60,000 four-year entrance scholarship—the largest science, technology, engineering and mathematics-based scholarship of its kind in Canada. Jennifer Borchert, a graduate of Clarence Fulton Secondary School in Vernon, BC and Aliya Khan of Gladstone Secondary School in Vancouver are two of 40 students from 20 Canadian universities receiving the scholarship.

These students have been selected to represent their schools as the inaugural Schulich Leader scholars, recognizing students who demonstrate academic excellence and plan to study in one of the four key disciplines and who show community leadership.

Aliya Khan, who is has been admitted into UVic’s Bachelor of Science program, was noted for her role in eastside Vancouver, not only for her work with young people at her school, but also for the volunteer work she’s done with the elderly in her community. She also participated in an overseas Girl Guides program called Free the Children in which she helped build a new schoolhouse in Ecuador and learned that, “…education is a privilege.”

Jennifer Borchert, also planning to enroll in the Bachelor of Science program, was acknowledged for her role in helping to build a gravel walking-path on school and city property alongside a preserved wetland, for contributing to the construction of a wall at an orphanage in Nicaragua, and for her volunteer work at North Okanagan Hospice Society.

“I have learned that if I care about something, I can make a difference,” Borchert said in her letter to the selection committee.

Schulich Leaders were selected from a pool of nominees who applied through the university application process.  Every high school, secondary school and CEGEP (in Quebec) nominated one student each to be eligible to receive the scholarship. This year there were 977 Schulich Leader nominees.

Schulich Leader Scholarships were created by Canadian business leader and philanthropist Seymour Schulich and is managed by UJA Federation of Greater Toronto. In addition to the Canadian program, a similar Schulich Leader Scholarships program is being carried out in Israel. This historic $100 million scholarship initiative was implemented to secure the future economic competitiveness of Canada and Israel and is designed to ensure that future Canadian and Israeli leaders are among the next pioneers of global scientific research and innovation. In 2012 there will be 40 Canadian and 10 Israeli Schulich Leaders. For more information, please visit www.schulichleaders.com.
 

-- 30 --