Incoming Loran Scholars Edna and Aishwarya start their engineering studies ready to turn vision into action.
Two first-year engineering students are beginning their journeys at Waterloo with national recognition for their leadership and service. Named 2025 Loran Scholars, Edna Nortey and Aishwarya Tandon are ready to transform their passions — from city advocacy to youth mental health — into lasting change.
The Loran Award is Canada’s most comprehensive undergraduate scholarship, valued at more than $100,000 over four years. Each year, the foundation selects just 36 students from thousands of applicants across the country, recognizing those who show strength of character, commitment to service and leadership potential.
Designing spaces for community
Toronto’s Edna Nortey is joining Waterloo’s architectural engineering program. She said the program offered the right mix of science, engineering and design.
“As someone interested in not only engineering and the sciences, but the functional design of infrastructure, Waterloo’s architectural engineering program offered the perfect opportunity,” Nortey said.
She has already taken on leadership roles in her community. Nortey co-leads the newcomer working group within the Toronto Youth Cabinet, representing more than 625,000 young people. She has researched the experiences of Black students in STEM, competed internationally in STEM and business competitions, and co-founded her school’s Black Student Alliance while serving as student body president. She was also valedictorian at her school, and received both the Principal’s Award and the Lieutenant Governor's Volunteering Award. Beyond academics, she plays competitive sports and is a role model for her younger siblings.
“Receiving the Loran Award means I get to continue creating an impact supported by an inspiring lifelong network,” she said. “I am even more motivated to design and build a future we all deserve.”
Advocating for youth well being
Aishwarya Tandon from Markham, Ontario, is beginning her studies in systems design engineering. She said the program appealed to her because it emphasizes broad problem-solving.
“Waterloo’s systems design engineering provides an opportunity for me to understand how to approach problems with a holistic view of technology, creativity and an understanding of human needs,” Tandon said. “I am so excited to learn and create in parallel at the University of Waterloo.”
Tandon co-founded an international non-profit that advocates for youth mental health and creates self-care packages for underserved communities. She has published educational booklets for children in local hospitals, served as a cadet for Saint John’s Ambulance, taught coding at a robotics programming centre and co-directed her school’s global activism council.
“Receiving the Loran Award means the chance for me to take on new challenges, explore evolving ideas and contribute to something greater than myself,” she said.
