We’re proud to celebrate 11 Shad alumni named 2026 Schulich Leaders, recipients of Canada’s most coveted undergraduate STEM scholarship.
Each year, the Schulich Foundation recognizes 100 entrepreneurial-minded high school graduates pursuing studies in Science, Technology, Engineering or Math at 20 partner universities across Canada. Schulich Leaders receive scholarships valued at up to $120,000.
Since the award was established in 2012, more than 150 Shad alumni have been named Schulich Leaders — a testament to the curiosity, ambition and drive they bring to creating a better future.
The Shad alumni named 2026 Schulich Leaders are:
Isabel Berena-Mojica, Shad2025
Aahan Ghode, Shad2024
Esha Gill, Shad2024
Allie Hannah, Shad2024
Daniel Irumhekha, Shad2025
Chinazam Igwe, Shad2024
Gavin Sala, Shad2025
Odysseas Stefanakis, Shad2024
Sarah Ye, Shad2024
Bill Xu, Shad2023
Sophia Xu, Shad2024
We caught up with these changemakers to learn how this incredible achievement is shaping their next steps, the impact they hope to make, and what they’re looking forward to in the future.
Shad taught me how to apply problem thinking and collaboration to develop real-world solutions, building my technical skills to pursue engineering in the healthcare industry. Since my Shad experience, I’ve continued exploring how technology can improve patient care by developing internal tools to support oncology clinical trial research at a biotechnology startup and building AI-powered healthcare projects through hackathons and bootcamps. I also continued working in group settings by helping lead the revival of my school’s FIRST© robotics team, growing from a five-year hiatus to our first-ever district event win!
This fall, I’ll be studying Engineering at McMaster University as a Schulich Leader, where I aim to combine robotics, artificial intelligence, and mechanical design to develop surgical and diagnostic technologies that aid in earlier cancer detection and less invasive treatments. My long-term goal is to lead a team in creating groundbreaking medical technologies to reduce patient risk and improve quality of life post treatment.
Beyond technical expertise, Shad played a huge role in shaping my mindset when approaching challenges. It helped me grow my confidence, learning how to develop and communicate solutions with tangible real-world impact. It also connected me to a vast network of incredible people, especially within the medical field. The friends, mentors and broader community have taught me that the best innovations come from people that share a genuine desire to make a difference. I hope to continue carrying these lessons forward throughout my career while creating opportunities for others to explore their passion in STEM.
Receiving the Schulich Leader Scholarship is an incredible honour and a milestone that reflects years of curiosity, hard work, and support from the communities that helped shape me. This fall, I’ll be studying Computer Engineering at the University of Toronto, where I hope to build intelligent software and hardware systems that improve sustainability, healthcare, and education.
One of the experiences that had the biggest impact on my journey was Shad. Before Shad, I loved building things, but the program showed me what engineering looks like when talented people from different backgrounds come together to solve meaningful problems. Working with my team to design an algae-powered battery challenged me to think beyond technical knowledge and consider creativity, collaboration, and real-world constraints. It taught me that great engineering isn’t just about finding the right answer, but about asking the right questions, learning from failures, and iterating until you build something that truly works.
Since then, I’ve continued pursuing projects that combine technology with impact, from developing an AI writing tool for English language learners to designing a UV-C sterilization system and mentoring younger students interested in STEM. I’m incredibly grateful to the Shad community for helping shape my perspective, and I look forward to carrying those lessons with me as I continue my engineering journey.
Hello! My name is Esha, and I am a 2026 Schulich Leader at Western University, where I will pursue a dual degree in Engineering and Ivey Business. My time at Shad McMaster in 2024 was a pivotal part of my high school journey, allowing me to tackle real-world challenges while collaborating with ambitious students from across Canada.
My Design Entrepreneurship Challenge explored a question that continues to intrigue me today: How might we help people in Canada integrate affordable and reliable green energy sources into their everyday lives to create more sustainable communities? Working with my DE team, we designed a gravity-based energy storage system that challenged me to think innovatively about one of the biggest obstacles to achieving a sustainable, net-zero future. Being named Valedictorian of my campus and receiving the Best Application of Theme Award with my team made the experience even more meaningful.
Most importantly, Shad helped me confirm that my passion lies at the intersection of engineering, innovation and entrepreneurship. As a Schulich Leader, I’m excited to explore the intersection of nuclear energy and space technologies, with the goal of contributing to the future of sustainable space exploration.
Hello! My name is Allie Hannah and I am so grateful to have been chosen as a 2026 Schulich Leader! Being chosen feels surreal, and honestly I can still hardly believe it. Being recognized alongside so many talented young leaders is such a privilege. With this opportunity, I am able to focus on my studies without distractions or worries. I can put all my energy into learning all that I can, and making a positive dent in our future.
After graduation, I am excited to be pursuing science in university, with an interest in renewable energy and climate change. I hope to use what I learn through my studies to improve the energy industry as much as I can, and lead us towards a greener future!
Attending Shad in 2024 was my first real dive into what green energy truly means and is where my interest began. The Design and Entrepreneurship project Shad presents every year was such a perfect chance to understand STEM projects in the real world. The 2024 year asked how we can make communities greener, and through this question I started thinking more about what I like and how I can connect it to improving my community.
Not only did Shad introduce many areas of study, but it also allowed me to make many connections with other likeminded individuals. I’m so excited to have the opportunity to make connections with others through this scholarship just as I did at Shad, and stay connected throughout my studies!
Being named a Schulich Leader is an incredible honour, and I am grateful to the many people and opportunities that supported me throughout this journey. I will be studying Computer Science at the University of Toronto, where I hope to build technology that improves people’s lives. My interest in computing began with a curiosity about how software works and grew through projects focused on solving real problems, from building an app to help prevent eye rubbing for people with keratoconus to developing an EV battery insulation prototype during the Shad Design Competition.
Shad challenged me to think beyond the classroom. Working with students from across Canada showed me the importance of understanding different perspectives, collaborating effectively, and using innovation to turn problems into solutions. It strengthened my confidence and reinforced my desire to pursue Computer Science. The friendships I built at Shad have become some of the most meaningful relationships in my life, and I know they will continue to support me for years to come.
Looking ahead, I hope to contribute to advances in artificial intelligence and software engineering that improve healthcare, sustainability, and everyday life. Shad taught me that meaningful innovation begins with curiosity, teamwork, and a willingness to learn. Those lessons will continue to guide me throughout my life.
The summer before Shad, I worked at a summer camp, leading coding and various hands-on science workshops and I loved it. That experience gave me the push to apply to Shad and discover what could be out there for me. The design project my year centred on green energy, and I’ll never forget the group that pitched a solution around the energy demands of AI on data centres. That topic sent me down a rabbit hole I haven’t climbed out of since – the intersection between tech & society. It made my interest in STEM no longer seem at odds with being a poet and enjoying subjects like history.
This past year I got to join the Youth Council for the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and participated in a nationwide youth assembly called the Gen Z AI forum where I helped draft policy recommendations and got the chance to present them to ministers in Ottawa.
At Dalhousie, I’ll major in Computer Science and minor in Political Science, chasing the endless stream of questions we have today at that intersection. In the future, I hope to do more work in tech governance, particularly in fields of AI and privacy – contributing to solutions that push us toward a healthier and more democratic digital future. While continuing to be a writer and staying rooted in civic affairs.
My advice to fellow Shads: follow your curiosity and take every opportunity to be engaged in issues that matter to you and your community.
My name is Gavin Sala, I’m from Portugal Cove St. Phillips, Newfoundland and Labrador. In the Fall, I will be attending Memorial University of Newfoundland, where I plan to study Mathematics and Physics.
Since I was little, I have always been fascinated by math, approaching it as more than just numbers and letters, and instead as the foundation of everything around us. I have always been curious about the workings of the world, and this curiosity has pushed me to try new things, such as leading my student council, and taking on STEAM based projects like coding applications to solve everyday problems.
The biggest intersection of these two facets was at Shad at the University of Calgary in 2025. At Shad, I learned how to find my voice, to collaborate with others, and discover where my interests for my future lie. This newfound confidence led me to aim for the Schulich Scholarship, which will now allow me to freely pursue my interests in hopes of bettering my community and the world around me.
With this opportunity, I hope to lean further into my love for space through astrophysics, connect with more like-minded individuals who lead and wish better for our world, and develop skills in order to research and foster new innovative developments. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunities that the Shad program and Schulich Leader Scholarship have given me, and I’m very excited to continue growing, learning, and leading through STEAM based innovation.
Participating in Shad Canada at the University of Lethbridge was my first time living independently. It taught me how to manage a demanding schedule filled with lectures and labs while juggling various responsibilities from laundry to project deadlines.
Shad involves a capstone design challenge where teams present their solutions to a panel of judges. In 2024, the challenge was to develop a solution integrating reliable green energy into Canadians’ daily lives. My team created Watt Walk, kinetic tiles that convert footsteps into electrical energy. After each lecture, we consulted specialists to gather feedback on our solution; their insights impressed upon us that persuasion depends not just on an idea’s merit but on how its value is articulated. Accordingly, we adjusted our final presentation to emphasize Watt Walk’s feasibility and impact, which helped distinguish our solution. This principle has since shaped how I communicate my work, from presenting research findings in geospatial data analytics at the University of Calgary to sharing my smart-pen project at the Canada-Wide Science Fair and on Global News.
At McGill University, I intend to build a strong foundation in mechanical engineering and problem solving through a rigorous education, work-integrated learning, and involvement in design teams as I pursue technology ventures that create meaningful solutions.
Before attending Shad TMU in 2024, I was in Grade 10 and knew I loved math and science, but I wasn’t completely sure whether engineering was the path I wanted to pursue. I had never experienced what it was actually like to solve real engineering problems or collaborate with like-minded people who shared the same curiosities and passions.
At Shad, my team developed BlueCurrent, a turbine designed to harness the kinetic energy of rain flowing through storm drains, and I found myself completely immersed in the engineering process. Although there were many unforgettable moments from Shad, one of my greatest takeaways was realizing how much I loved building new solutions, such as finding potential in rain as an underutilized resource. After Shad, I started learning programming, creating my own games, and eventually developing Signwave, a software which recognizes gestures with computer vision and helps users with motor disabilities perform tasks. This project made me realize how much technology can impact a person’s life.
In the fall, I will be attending SFU Engineering Science, with the hopes of becoming a mechanical or biomedical engineer. My goal is to develop affordable human-centered technologies that improve accessibility and quality of life for disabled communities.
Being named a Schulich Leader is an incredible honour, and I’m grateful to join a community of driven students from across Canada. My journey so far has been motivated by entrepreneurship, a skill I first developed at Shad. It all started with a simple question: What happens to all the waste we create when we build things? That question led me to found a startup focused on recycling 3D printing waste. Along the way, I realized I wanted to build platforms for others too, so I co-founded a Montreal student-run tech competition that connects young innovators with mentorship and funding. Alongside entrepreneurship, I conduct machine learning research in environmental science and quantum computing, which I presented at the International Science and Engineering Fair.
This fall, I’m heading to the University of Waterloo, where I hope to keep integrating research and entrepreneurship into everything I pursue.
Hi, my name is Sophia and I am incredibly honoured to have been named a 2026 Schulich Leader! This fall, I will be heading to the University of Waterloo to pursue a Bachelor’s in Computer Science. Being a Shad 2024 alumni, I’ve experienced first hand how this program inspires students to think beyond concepts learned at school and actually apply their ideas to hands-on projects.
Attending Shad at Western University in 2024 was the most fun, exciting, nerve-wracking and amazing experience of my high school journey. Before Shad, I had always loved STEM, but the program broadened my perspective on what innovation truly is. Every day for an entire month, I attended seminars spanning subjects from business, entrepreneurship, physics, biology, and even entomology. Learning from professors and industry professionals across so many disciplines encouraged me to think beyond the boundaries of a single field and showed me how collaboration between different areas of expertise drives innovation.
At Waterloo, I hope to continue working on projects that create a genuine impact while giving back to the STEM community through mentorship and leadership.