Impact of Giving

With their first semester in the books, UNB’s newest Schulich Leaders are settling into university life with the help of Canada’s most coveted STEM scholarship.

Hannah Kamogawa and Chelsea McKinley are UNB’s 2023-24 recipients of the Schulich Leader Scholarships. Each year, one hundred Schulich Leader Scholarships are awarded to entrepreneurial-minded high school graduates enrolling in a science, technology, engineering or math program at 20 partner universities across Canada. Schulich Leader engineering scholarships are valued at $120,000 over four years, and the program’s science and math scholarships are valued at $100,000.

In her first semester, McKinley has become involved with UNB’s Engineering Undergraduate Society and she was excited to attend the Canadian Engineering Leadership Conference (CELC) in St. John’s, NL, in early January. She is co-director of the junior design competition for the Atlantic Engineering competition.

For Kamogawa, a highlight of her first semester was the lab portion of her coursework. “Learning hands on and being able to do actual chemistry has been really fun,” she said.

Both students credit the scholarship with easing their shift to university. “The transition from high school to university has been quite challenging, and I can’t imagine how much harder it would’ve been if I had to keep a job alongside my coursework,” said McKinley.

Kamogawa agreed. “Over this first semester I've gained a renewed appreciation and intense gratitude for being a recipient of the Schulich Leader Scholarship,” she said. ”Seeing my peers and friends stress and struggle through student loans and monetary stresses really puts into perspective how fortunate I am to not have to think about money while pursuing my degree.”

Kamogawa and McKinley join an established community of current and former Schulich Leaders, the support of which has been a boon to them both. “The Schulich Leader Scholarship has given me a network of upper-year students at the university that I can reach out to if I have questions. Getting to know the UNB leaders and some of the Dalhousie leaders at the annual Schulich Leaders conference was a fantastic experience, and really solidified the bonds I‘ve made in the Schulich Leaders community,” McKinley said.

Learn more about the Schulich Leader Scholarships. 2024 nominations are due Jan. 30.