Impact of Giving

UNB’s newest Schulich Leaders are poised to shine in prestigious arenas, thanks in large part to the support they have received from the Schulich Foundation and their community of fellow Leaders.

Gavin Huang and Lars Oehler are UNB’s 2025-26 recipients of the Schulich Leader Scholarships, Canada’s premier Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) scholarship program. One hundred undergraduate scholarships are awarded annually across 20 Canadian universities, with a value of $120,000 or $100,000 per award.</p

Lars says that while he enjoys all his engineering courses, he particularly thrives in design classes, where he has worked on innovative fireplace designs for NB Parks, modelling a heavy lift drone and assisting the robotics club (including fellow Schulich Leader, Gavin) with their rover design. Even at this early stage in his studies, he is taking on leadership roles – as vice-president external of the Engineering Undergraduate Society, he has attended numerous conferences, meeting and networking with fellow students from across the country. Lars and his teammates won the Junior Design category at the Atlantic Engineering Competition in January, qualifying them to represent UNB at the Canadian Engineering Competition! “This has been an exciting journey for all of us, and a great way to apply many of the skills we have been learning,” he says.</p

Computer science student Gavin is similarly busy, both in the classroom and out. He has enjoyed his work with the cybersecurity and robotics clubs. Gavin also continues to build the company he co-founded, STEMBlock, recently launching a new arm called STEMBlock.AI, an AI-powered education platform. Having the ability to pitch this concept at several UNB events has pushed his growth as an entrepreneur, he says. And that work has paid off: Gavin as been accepted into the prestigious H2A Canada program, a collaboration between UNB’s J. Herbert Smith Centre and Harvard University's HealthLab Accelerator (H2A). In April, he will travel to Harvard and present his pitch in person!</p

Both Gavin and Lars are grateful for the doors the Schulich Leader Award has opened for them. “It has honestly shaped my first year in ways I didn't fully expect,” says Gavin. “Being around the Schulich community has made me think a lot more about paying it forward, which has become a real driving force for me this year, and the events and the people I've met through Schulich have created this supportive environment that pushes you to do more.” Lars agrees, saying, “the Schulich Leader Award invited me to explore a new part of Canada, introducing me to so many new people, a solid engineering program and the ability to really focus on my studies.”

With a first year like this, we are excited to see what the next few years bring for these two outstanding UNB scholars.

Learn more: Schulich Leaders