Four freshmen from Newfoundland and Labrador have been awarded the prestigious Schulich Leaders Scholarship for students studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Three of those students – Norman Chen of St. John’s, Samantha Morgan of Colliers and Isaac Buckingham of Corner Brook – each received a $100,000 scholarship, while Jason Matthews of Pasadena received $80,000. Canadian businessman Seymour Schulich established the scholarship fund in 2012 for high school students entering university. Each High School in the country can submit one candidate per year. More than 1,400 students from across Canada were nominated for the awards, but only 100 were selected to study at one of the country’s 20 partner universities. Norm Chen will study software engineering at the University of Waterloo. He is one of four students from this province to win the 2022 Schulich Leaders Scholarship. (Kate Bueckert/CBC) In a news release, Schulich says that with tuition covered, the scholarship will allow students to focus on their “studies, research projects, extracurriculars and business ventures.” “They are the next generation of entrepreneurs, technology innovators,” Schulich said. Chen, who averaged 99 percent in high school and studied chemistry and biology in the International Baccalaureate program, believes his grades were a big factor in earning the scholarship, but so were his extracurricular activities, such as swimming and chess. “I played provincial chess. I went to nationals, I think I played nine times in my 11 years, so that might help,” he told CBC radio’s On The Go. Chen is now studying software engineering at the University of Waterloo, and said now that he won the scholarship, he doesn’t have to worry about his finances and can focus on school, which has been difficult so far. “On the first day we had a lot to do already and it’s also a very competitive school, so everyone is doing their best,” he said. Chen doesn’t yet know where he wants his studies to take him, but he would like to develop some kind of app to help people in Newfoundland and Labrador. Two of the 2022 Schulich leaders, Samantha Morgan and Jason Matthews, have chosen to study STEM at Memorial University. (Paul Daly/CBC) Meanwhile, Morgan, who is studying engineering at Memorial University, said she was shocked to learn she had been named Schulich’s 2022 leader. “I just never expected to win such a prestigious scholarship,” Morgan told The St. John’s Morning Show. Morgan said she wants to study electrical engineering and eventually work at Tesla, and later either Newfoundland Power and Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro. “I’m really interested in electric cars and how they work and how we can improve the electric grid itself to allow more electric cars to be used,” Morgan said. Morgan believes her grades and extracurriculars also made her application stand out from 1,400 others. She said she was involved in many school clubs, tutoring, anti-bullying initiatives and her high school’s Green Team, which promoted recycling and composting and created greenhouses. Morgan said she considered attending universities outside the province, but ultimately chose Memorial University. Isaac Buckingham is studying engineering at the University of New Brunswick. He will receive $100,000 to go towards his education. (University of New Brunswick) “I’m very close with my family, so I think at the end of the day, even though I thought about other universities, I knew in my heart that it was always going to be MUN,” she said. Morgan is the only woman from the province to receive the scholarship and says sometimes women can feel a little intimidated when it comes to science, technology, engineering and math. “It’s still really male-dominated. But all the women in STEM — it’s just such a community with everyone supporting each other,” she said. In a press release, the University of New Brunswick said Isaac Buckingham, the third scholar from the province, was chosen because of his academic achievements and his participation in SHAD, a month-long STEM program for students in grades 10 and 11 , and participating in the Canadian Games representing the NL team in alpine skiing and beach volleyball. The fourth recipient, Jason Matthews, received a slightly smaller scholarship worth $80,000. In a press release, Memorial University said she will study a joint degree in computer science and statistics. Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador
