Meet Waterloo’s 2024 Schulich Leaders

The University of Waterloo is proud to welcome a new cohort of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) students through the Schulich Leader Scholarship program. Out of 350,000 potential candidates, 100 high school students across Canada have received this award, and 10 are joining Waterloo this fall.

Students pursuing an engineering degree will receive $120,000, while students in science, technology or math will receive $100,000. The scholarship will cover university expenses and allow students to focus on their studies, research projects and entrepreneurial ventures.

“I am pleased to see another exceptional cohort of Schulich Leader scholars choose the University of Waterloo,” says Vivek Goel, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Waterloo. “We look forward to welcoming them to our community of curious, collaborative, innovative and entrepreneurial problem-solvers and leaders who seek to make the world a better place.”

Watch how five of our Schulich leaders plan to spend their time at Waterloo.

Learn more about the 10 Schulich Leaders joining this September.

Johnnie Chen | Computer Science

Inspired by his father’s work and background in computer science, Johnnie Chen developed his interest in the same field at a young age. He believes that the development of artificial intelligence is not only beneficial, but crucial for the future.

Chen’s proudest achievements include ranking in the 99th percentile for the Euclid Contest and earning top spots for various trivia competitions. Aside from being a math enthusiast, Johnnie has also taken his interest in sports to the next level by attending Moneyball Academy, a sports analytics program at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Chen shares that Waterloo has always been his “top choice.” He looks forward to meeting new people, the academic experience, and the professional experience he’ll gain from Waterloo’s co-op program.

“As a Schulich leader, I aspire to create greater societal impact with my efforts; I want to bring greater public awareness surrounding the increasing use of data and computer science in our daily lives.”

Salma El Gohary | Systems Design Engineering

At 12 years old, Salma El Gohary developed her first mobile application during Technovation Girls, a 12-week program offered at Waterloo that equips girls and young women+ (including transgender, gender non-binary, and gender fluid) to become tech entrepreneurs and leaders. Since then, Waterloo has had a special place in her heart.

“While establishing my passion for engineering and design, I knew that Waterloo Engineering was where I belonged.” El Gohary says.

After completing a high school co-op placement at Creative Visual Solutions, El Gohary landed a part-time job as a marketing and sales coordinator, making her the youngest employee at the company. She also devoted her time to numerous extracurriculars including founding a chapter of STEM Fellowship, working as a graphic designer, tutoring math and coaching gymnastics.

El Gohary looks forward to the co-op program at Waterloo and would like to be involved in UW Blueprint and Velocity’s Cornerstone program to further develop her entrepreneurial skills. Her goal is to launch a tech startup focused on developing innovative wellness technologies to help enhance individuals' quality of life.

Elisa Gabriele | Architectural Engineering

Elisa Gabriele always knew she wanted to become an engineer and use her problem-solving skills to innovate technologies and positively contribute to the world. Her love for architecture began as early as nine years old, when she found herself browsing Realtor.ca to analyze the designs.

As a top student, mentor and tutor, Gabriele keeps herself busy with various extra-curriculars such as swimming, mock trials and planning STEM activities for children.

Elisa looks forward to bridging her interests as an engineer and a designer at Waterloo. In the future, she hopes to open her own architecture firm and design homes and commercial buildings.

“I hope that my practice can be a learning environment for aspiring engineering and architecture students, where I can also promote STEM exploration for children in my community.”

Aditya Makkar | Computer Science

Aditya Makkar has always loved mathematics and had a simultaneous passion for technology. In Grade 11, he attended the Quantum School for Young Students and was exposed to the cutting-edge research and projects Waterloo was working on. After speaking with researchers and attending Hack the North, he felt confident that Waterloo’s computer science program would allow him to explore both of his passions.

In his spare time, Makkar joined DECA and the debate team, but the extra-curriculars he enjoyed the most were the ones he started himself. He worked on open-source ASL translations; worked alongside Waterloo researchers to explore deep-learning architecture and scaled machine-learning wildfire prediction software.

In the future, Makkar is looking forward to working for deep-tech research startups. He wants to gain real-world experience and use his problem-solving skills to create ground-breaking technologies.

Ronak Patel | Software Engineering

Ronak Patel’s journey into the software industry began with competitive programming. After joining the FIRST Robotics Competition, he experienced what software development was really like. Fascinated with using math and computing concepts to engineer real-life solutions, Patel was drawn to the software engineering program at Waterloo.

After realizing that there were few opportunities for computing contests in Ontario, Patel co-founded one of the few in-person teams. They created a problem set, launched a website and held a successful event with 350 participants. When he’s not coding, Patel flies with Air Cadets and his local soaring club, having previously earned his glider and private pilot licences.

In the future, he hopes to explore sectors that use math and statistics to engineer algorithms so he can be at the forefront of new technologies. For now, he’s looking forward to exploring subjects that he’s most interested in and the co-op opportunities he’ll take part in at Waterloo.

“From design teams to student life experiences, I’d like to make the most of my university experience.”

Evan Ralph | Environmental Engineering

Growing up in Newfoundland, Evan Ralph spent a lot of time outdoors which inspired him to study environmental engineering, with the hope of preserving the nature that he grew up around.  Ralph developed an interest in physics in high school and became CEO of his school’s remotely operated vehicle (ROV) team. He led his team in preparation for the MATE ROV Competition, an underwater robotics challenge, where he ultimately found a passion for engineering.

Ralph is also involved in Air Cadets and found himself teaching classes to younger cadets and coaching biathlon. He also takes the time to unwind by spending time outdoors, golfing and photography.

“Photography helps me to clear my mind, focusing on taking pictures and getting the perfect shot helps me to get away from all of the stress of schoolwork.”

Evan looks forward to working alongside others in the hydroelectric or wind energy field in Newfoundland and Labrador. His greatest career aspiration is to help his home province and country.

Emma Shi | Computer Science

Emma Shi found her strength in creativity and critical thinking. The challenge of problem-solving led her to participate in hackathons, where she harnessed her natural curiosity to find breakthrough solutions. After witnessing the success of her older sister, brother-in-law and cousins at Waterloo, Shi knew that the University’s computer science program was the perfect fit for her ambitions.

Shi shares that competing in Hack the North gave her a sense of belonging at Waterloo. She developed a decentralized data aggregation platform to enhance AI training data, earning her two awards. Having also served as team captain for three different sports in high school, it comes as no surprise that she is a three-time athlete of the year. Emma looks forward to continuing her athletic journey by joining the Waterloo Warriors.

“Sports are my go-to outlet. Finding something that can take your mind away is accessible, and is enjoyable is extremely important to maintain a work-life balance.”

With the goal of using tech for social good, Shi is eager to explore the intersection of finance, sustainability and entrepreneurship during her time at Waterloo.

Noah Sonser | Physical Sciences (Mathematical Physics)

Ever since he was young, Noah Sonser has loved watching videos and documentaries about physics. He even dreamt of being an astronaut one day, but his fear of being upside down led him to focus his studies on physics.

In high school, Sonser created a tutoring program where he would support students four days a week, helping them with their STEM classes. He also volunteered for orientation tours, ran event booths and spoke at assemblies. When he’s not helping others, Sonser loves to go cycling around town. 

Sonser looks forward to learning more about statistical physics and how it can be used to predict weather. He would love to pursue his postgraduate studies abroad and is currently learning German in preparation for his travels and to have a stronger connection with his family.

Learn more about Noah on the Faculty of Science website.

Pari Vansjalia | Software Engineering

Pari Vansjalia’s interest in health care, robotics and arts led her to discover her passion in technology. She knew that software engineering would allow her to learn the skills necessary to make an impact in almost any field, while gaining experience in problem solving and collaboration. That’s why she wants to explore new opportunities to build impactful projects with others.

“Being in an engineering program that brings together ambitious and hardworking students will not only create a conducive environment for collaboration, but it will also be with those students that I build lifelong memories at Waterloo.”

Eager to make lasting positive impact, Vansjalia spent a summer working at Interac publishing a research paper on how decentralized autonomous organization could create a better workflow for researchers to visualize their work. She has also worked at RBC; participated in various high school clubs, and co-founded EmpowHer, a project to mentor elementary girls through workshops and hackathons on emerging technology. As a classical Bharatanatyam dancer, she also finds the time to practice, supporting her work-life balance.

Daniel Zhang | Computer Science

Becoming a programmer in Grade 8, Daniel Zhang has always had an interest in coding. At Waterloo, he wants to learn more about front and back-end development as well as machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Aside from participating in competitive programming and extracurriculars in STEM, Zhang is also a badminton athlete. He trains multiple days a week and has won several medals at the national level.  Zhang also won the 2023 International Economics Olympiad — an annual competition for high school students in the field of economics.

Zhang is excited to join the co-op program at Waterloo, meet new people and build his knowledge in a research-focused environment. He aspires to become a software developer to create AI software.