Stories

As an avid fencer since the age of 12, Nima Abbaszadeh thought he knew everything there was to know about the sport he loved. He had spent years competing in tournaments, refining his technique and developing a deep appreciation for the skills and mentality the sport had helped him hone. Nima and a teammate practicing […]

When Shad Alums  Billy Truong,  Mark Seeman,  Katie Yu, and  Sadie MacDonnell were told that they had earned a Loran Award, one of Canada’s most prestigious and comprehensive undergraduate awards, they felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment and support from the Loran community. The Loran Scholars Foundation looks beyond grades to identify values-driven youth who demonstrate strength […]

Shad2022 Alum Armand Lupien enjoys a challenge. He loves to push his physical limits and test his endurance through activities that take him out of his comfort zone. So when he needed a plan to see all his Shad friends post-program, he decided a 7500 km bike ride from Saint John, Newfoundland to Vancouver, British […]

Ella Bradford wakes every morning to the beauty of Canada’s North. Growing up in the Yukon has meant a life built around nature and all the amazing things you can do in it, whether it’s cross-country skiing through fresh snow in winter or hiking and camping every summer in the territory’s vast wilderness, much of […]

As Aneil Garcha prepares for Vaisakhi, the harvest festival observed every April by Sikh communities around the world, she is reflecting on the important role her Sikh heritage has played in her upbringing. From providing her with the values she uses to guide her life choices to the confidence and empowerment she draws from Gatka, […]

When Jefferson Chen first arrived in Nigeria in 2018, he did not yet know the depth of connection he would form with the country and its people. But his work as a student consultant would intersect with the world of women’s health and set him on a path of female empowerment and economic equity through […]

When Angelina Hang received her acceptance offer to Shad2023 she was over the moon with excitement. She had heard so much about the program and was anticipating all the amazing things she’d be exploring, and the people she would be exploring them with, that July. Angelina Hang with Shadbot What she was less sure of […]

When the opportunity to become the Founding Dean of the Toronto Metropolitan University School of Medicine (TMU SoM) presented itself, Dr. Teresa Chan knew it was a chance to have a real impact by helping to shape how aspiring doctors approach medicine and the patients they serve. As a social justice advocate and proponent of […]

As Shanya Samuel works to build the periodic table her and the other students from the Black Student Association have created to celebrate the contributions of Black individuals to STEAM fields, she feels inspired by the accomplishments of those who came before her. She had not always seen herself as the “right fit” for STEAM, […]

As a young child, Hamid Ali accompanied his Mom to doctor’s appointments as she sought treatment for a work injury she had suffered. The experience had a lasting impact. From physiotherapists to specialists, he was fascinated by the breadth of knowledge and technical equipment available to practitioners to help treat people with medical ailments large […]

When Kayla Gauthier was invited to present her research in the field of Health Sciences at the Global Undergraduate Awards (UA) in Dublin, Ireland last November, she felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment and pride in the work she was being recognized for by one of the world’s leading academic awards programs. She had wanted […]

For Bronwyn Roberts, representing the “A” in STEAM is something she feels passionately about. As a Dance Educator studying the ways in which dance can be used in the classroom and the community to enrich the learning experience and quality of life for both young and old, she understands the value of the Arts in […]