By Allen Tung and Justin Wong, SFU University Communications 

New students Scott Bernard and Jennifer Yi are Simon Fraser University’s recipients of the Schulich Leader Scholarships, awarded annually to high school graduates enrolling in a science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) undergraduate program at participating universities in Canada and Israel.

Bernard, a graduate of Seycove Secondary School in North Vancouver, receives the engineering scholarship valued at $80,000 and Yi, a graduate of Pacific Academy in Surrey, receives $60,000.

Both begin their studies at SFU this September. Bernard is pursuing a bachelor of applied science in engineering science, while Yi is pursuing a bachelor of science in health sciences. They were selected for their outstanding academic and extra-curricular achievements, which are core requirements for the scholarship.

“I feel incredibly grateful to have earned the Schulich scholarship, which will allow me to focus primarily on my academics,” says Bernard. “I couldn’t have achieved this without the support of my teachers and family members.”

Upon graduation from Seycove, Bernard won several top-student awards in mathematics and sciences. Outside the classroom, he volunteered his time to tutor his peers, and led several student groups. He also served as a volunteer coach for the North Shore Girls Soccer Club.

Canadian business leader and philanthropist Seymour Schulich established the scholarships with $100 million in 2012. These scholarships encourage 50 of Canada’s best and brightest high school students to attend university to become future pioneers in global scientific research and innovation. 

(This is an abridged version of a story originally published by SFU News.)