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

Akash Anand, Alisa Chen, Michelle Xie, Nolan Calderwood, Rowan Fehr and Vuk Tacic 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 1,300 students were nominated, of which 100 received this celebrated award.

“As we celebrate 15 years of Schulich Leaders, we are proud to have supported more than 1,000 exceptional Canadian students pursuing STEM degrees at our country’s top universities. Schulich Leader Scholarships help attract and retain outstanding talent, empowering the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs. By supporting their ambition and creating the conditions for them to succeed, we can ensure their innovations drive Canada’s future prosperity,” says Judy Schulich, President of The Schulich Foundation.

Akash Anand, 17, is a recipient of the $100,000 Schulich Leader Scholarship. A graduate of Webber Academy in Calgary, Alberta, Anand will be entering the Faculty of Science this fall. Anand was selected for his outstanding STEM and entrepreneurial leadership achievements, including winning the University of Toronto National Book Award, delivering a TED-Ed Talk on mapping the brain and earning a Robotics Club Inspire Award Runner-up finish in Alberta.

Alisa Chen, 18, is a recipient of the $120,000 Schulich Leader Scholarship. A graduate of Victoria Park Collegiate Institute in North York, Ontario, Chen will be entering the Faculty of Applied Science this fall. Chen was selected for her outstanding STEM and entrepreneurial leadership achievements, such as being a three-time finalist in DECA International, where students develop leadership and innovation skills, and winning the 2025 York University Summer Debating Tournament and the 2024 Tri City Fall Cup debate championship.

Michelle Xie, 18, is a recipient of the $100,000 Schulich Leader Scholarship. A graduate of Kitsilano Secondary School in Vancouver, B.C., Xie will be entering the Faculty of Science this fall. Xie was selected for her outstanding STEM and entrepreneurial leadership achievements including leading analysis of a 38,500-participant mental health dataset, serving as vice-president of B.C.’s largest youth-led legal nonprofit and growing a hackathon club from 0 to 70 members.

Nolan Calderwood, 18, is a recipient of the $100,000 Schulich Leader Scholarship. A graduate of Kelowna Christian School in Kelowna, B.C., Calderwood will be entering the Faculty of Science this fall. Calderwood was selected for his outstanding STEM and entrepreneurial leadership achievements, such as designing and publishing two mobile apps, helping lead his school to a B.C. Single A volleyball championship and building a YouTube channel with more than 6,500 subscribers.

Rowan Fehr, 18, is a recipient of the $120,000 Schulich Leader Scholarship. A graduate of Campobello Island Consolidated School in Wilsons Beach, New Brunswick, Fehr will be entering the Faculty of Applied Science this fall. Fehr was selected for his outstanding STEM and entrepreneurial leadership achievements, among them earning both glider and private pilot licenses through Royal Canadian Air Cadets, captaining his high school basketball team and teaching aviation lessons at his cadet squadron.

Vuk Tacic, 17, is a recipient of the $120,000 Schulich Leader Scholarship. A graduate of Byrne Creek Community School in Burnaby, B.C., Tacic will be entering the Faculty of Applied Science this fall. Tacic was selected for his outstanding STEM and entrepreneurial leadership achievements, such as leading Creekside Robotics, growing the team from six to 35 members, organizing B.C.’s largest youth hackathon and engineering an automated Rubik’s Cube solver.

About Schulich Leader Scholarships Canada

Recognizing the increasing importance and impact that STEM disciplines 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 and United Jewish Appeal, 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.

About UBC

The University of British Columbia is a global center for research and teaching, consistently ranked among the top 20 public universities in the world. Since 1915, UBC’s entrepreneurial spirit has embraced innovation and challenged the status quo. UBC encourages its students, staff and faculty to challenge convention, lead discovery and explore new ways of learning. At UBC, bold thinking is given a place to develop into ideas that can change the world.