2023 Pearl Sullivan Emerging Global Leaders Award Recipient
Andrea Chakma, the 2023 recipient of the Pearl Sullivan Emerging Global Leaders Award, is passionate about inspiring the next generation of girls and non-binary youth to explore careers in STEM unreservedly.
A very active volunteer, Chakma improves the community around her by working to empower young girls to explore their interests without fear of societal stigma unconditionally. Through her senior leadership volunteer roles at Girl Guides Canada (GGC) and the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), she has led countless leadership events for youth around the globe centred around enabling youth to find their voice and how they can use it to make a difference in the world.
Chakma has also had a significant impact on making student life better for equity-deserving groups at Waterloo Engineering. For example, as President of Waterloo Engineering’s Women in Engineering Undergraduate Student Committee, Chakma supports female and non-binary students throughout their engineering academic journey.
As the prestigious Pearl Sullivan Emerging Global Leaders Award winner, Chakma will use her $50,000 award to further remove barriers for women and girls in STEM. In particular, she plans to partner with WAGGGS to create more opportunities for STEM awareness programming for young girls enrolled in Girl Guides and Girl Scouts worldwide.
Chakma is also considering pursuing a graduate degree, focusing on innovative design technology that fosters an inclusive environment.
2023 Pearl Sullivan Emerging Global Leaders Award Finalists
Maria Fraser Semenoff, BASc '23, environmental engineering
Fraser Semenoff’s dedication to sustainability has led her to take on several volunteer leadership roles, including serving as the Solutions Officer for Impact Alliance. In this role, she organized the Sustainable Development Goals Impact Challenge, the first-ever solutions hackathon at the University of Waterloo. Fraser Semenoff has also co-led the alternative protein project on campus and represented the Faculty of Engineering on the student sustainability committee for the University of Waterloo’s staff association.
Fraser Semenoff’s dream is to support climate adaptation in developing countries. She is keen to pursue graduate studies to help expand her knowledge of hydrology and water resources, so she can pursue a career in protecting shorelines subject to erosion and houses vulnerable to flooding.
Itohansose (Osose) Itua, BASc '23, mechatronics engineering
Determined to build her leadership skills, Itua has served in several student leadership positions across the University of Waterloo – including as an academic class representative for her mechatronics engineering cohort and as vice chair of the activities council executive at St. Paul’s College. In addition, her service has extended beyond Waterloo and into the community, including her work as a co-organizer for AfricaHacks, the largest virtual hackathon in Africa that hosted over 600+ members.
Entrepreneurial at heart, Itua founded Foodage in her third year of studies. Foodage aims to encourage a more sustainable world by predicting future demand to reduce waste from independent restaurants.
Ahmad Kamal, BASc '23, mechatronics engineering
As a Waterloo Engineering student, Kamal has actively supported several grassroots initiatives that provided mentorship and a sense of community. His greatest achievement was his work in establishing regular academic help sessions for first- and second-year students, an initiative which continues to live on under growing student leadership.
Kamal hopes to pursue graduate school to study control of robotic systems and aims to one day become a professor.
Benn McGregor, BSE '23, software engineering
Inspired by the Climate Strikes in Sept. 2019, he co-authored EGDP, the first-ever design guidelines for impactful, climate-conscious video games. He also co-created Citizen Hacks, a hackathon about privacy in technology, which assembled several workshops, panels and talks from prominent figures throughout the industry.
Using his own guidelines, McGregor is creating Row – a role-playing video game that engages players in a compelling story about resilience and renewal and the effects of climate change – and is committed to doing the research, development and marketing required to introduce Row to gamers, schools and climate action organizations.