Mechatronics students win $100,000 scholarships

Two incoming mechatronics engineering students will start their academic careers at the University of Waterloo this fall with $100,000 each in support from the Schulich Leader Scholarships program.

Evangeline Dryburgh, 17, of Mamora, Ont., and Shahed Saleh, 18, of Windsor, distinguished themselves in a field of more than 1,400 nominees for just 50 of the prestigious scholarships across the country.

Evangeline Dryburgh (left) and Shahed Saleh have both won Schulich scholarships for $100,000 to study mechatronics engineering.

The Schulich program annually awards 25 scholarships of $100,000 to engineering students and 25 scholarships of $80,000 to students in science, technology or mathematics.

Nominees from a potential pool of more than 300,000 graduating Canadian high school students are assessed based on their grades, community leadership roles and participation in entrepreneurial ventures.

Dryburgh, a student at Campbellford District High School, is the daughter of two University of Waterloo alumni, making her choice to study at Waterloo Engineering an easy one. She has a black belt in karate, volunteers at a hospice and fences at a national level, as well are participating in school sports, student council and several clubs.

“I am very excited for the co-op program and working with different companies and employers,” she said. “In the future, I want to work in clean energy. I am interested in nuclear fusion and I would love to work with a team to create a safer, greener type of energy that could change the world.”

A passion for robotics

Saleh, who attended Vincent Massey Secondary School, selected Waterloo Engineering as the best place to develop her talents as an innovator. She is passionate about robotics and did a co-op placement that involved designing, 3D-printing, coding and reporting on mechanisms for industrial robots at manufacturing plants.

“Much of the inspiration I receive for my engineering projects comes from tinkering with old, usually broken electronics and my love for visual arts,” she said. “I hope to lead a meaningful career in the field of robotics, but most of all I wish to continue impacting and inspiring youth.”

Selected for $80,000 scholarships at the University were Jason Amri, 18, of Ancaster, Ont., in computer science, and Zeel Patel, 18, of Brandon, Man., in science.

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