Six students have been named UBC’s recipients of the prestigious Schulich Leader Scholarship.

Inayat Kang, Abhinav Menon, David Yang, Adam Chen, Sophie Jiang and Meshach Emke have been named the University of British Columbia’s recipients of the prestigious Schulich Leader Scholarship.

Out of a pool of 350,000 potential candidates across Canada, more than 1,400 students were nominated, of which 100 received this celebrated award.

Inayat Kang, 17, is a recipient of the $120,000 Schulich Leader Scholarship. A graduate of STEM Innovation Academy High School in Calgary, Alberta, Kang will be entering the Faculty of Applied Science this fall. Kang was selected for her outstanding academic and extra-curricular achievements, such as developing an award-winning IoT drone system for crop optimization, leading inclusive robotics outreach for youth, and earning Calgary’s 10X Future Founder Award for her innovative assistive device projects.

Abhinav Menon, 17, is a recipient of the $100,000 Schulich Leader Scholarship. A graduate of Aden Bowman Collegiate in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Menon will be entering the Faculty of Science this fall. Menon was selected for his academic and extra-curricular achievements, such as developing an agricultural data‑modeling prototype for CAE presented to Agri‑Food Canada, winning national science fair awards for innovative sodium‑ion battery research, and founding a free computer science program for underprivileged youth.

David Yang, 15, is a recipient of the $100,000 Schulich Leader Scholarship. A graduate of the Transition Program for Gifted Students in Vancouver, BC, Yang will be entering the Faculty of Science this fall. Yang was selected for his academic and extra-curricular achievements, such as founding the DC Coding Association to deliver free STEM education to 800+ youth, contributing to UBC’s PLAICraft AI project at age 13, and earning awards for his AI and robotics innovations.

Adam Chen, 18, is a recipient of the $120,000 Schulich Leader Scholarship. A graduate of Rockridge Secondary School, in West Vancouver, BC, Chen will be entering the Faculty of Applied Science this fall. Chen was selected for his academic and extra-curricular achievements, such as winning back‑to‑back first‑place titles at the UBC Physics Olympics for his innovative devices and founding a nonprofit mountain biking group to support new riders in BC.

Sophie Jiang, 17, is a recipient of the $100,000 Schulich Leader Scholarship. A graduate of Richmond Secondary School, in Richmond, BC, Jiang will be entering the Faculty of Science this fall. Jiang was selected for her academic and extra-curricular achievements, such as conducting award‑winning AI research in human‑computer interaction, co‑leading a nonprofit supporting 500+ students, and earning national recognition at the High School Big Data and AI Challenge.

Meshach Emke, 18, is a recipient of the $120,000 Schulich Leader Scholarship. A graduate of Kelowna Christian School, in Kelowna, BC, Emke will be entering the Faculty of Applied Science this fall. Emke was selected for his outstanding academic and extra-curricular achievements, such as interning at the University of Alberta’s Centre for Welding and Joinery, using drone technology to aid local wildfire response, and excelling academically while completing much of his schooling remotely.

“Schulich Leader Scholarships enable Canada’s top universities to attract and retain our exceptional STEM talent here at home, empowering them to become the innovators and entrepreneurs our country needs. When these scholars go on to drive prosperity and strengthen our economy, Canada must ensure the right economic conditions exist so they can build their promising futures here. Supporting their entrepreneurial ambition is essential for turning Canadian ingenuity into lasting national success,” says program founder Mr. Schulich.

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. Every high school in Canada can submit one Schulich Leader Nominee per academic year based on entrepreneurial leadership and financial need.