Every year more than 300,000 high school graduates across the country are whittled down to a list of 1,500 nominees for a Schulich Leader Scholarship, Canada’s most coveted undergraduate STEM scholarship.

From that list of 1,500 nominees, 100 scholarships are awarded to entrepreneurial-minded students enrolling in a science, technology, engineering or math program at 20 partner universities across Canada.

And Dauphin’s Talia Iwanchysko is one of those 100, receiving $120,000 to complete her engineering degree at the University of Saskatchewan.

The 2023 graduate is thrilled with how all of her hard work throughout high school is paying off in a big way, for her and for her parents.

“It is an amazing opportunity. My parents don’t have to worry about helping me out. They’re beyond thrilled. They were very happy for me when I told them,” Iwanchysko said, adding her parents were instrumental in making sure she makes the most of the opportunity. “They put some sense into me when I was unsure of what I wanted to do and how much of an amazing opportunity this was.”

Every high school in Canada can nominate one graduating student each year to apply for the scholarship, which focusses on volunteerism, leadership, extracurricular activities and an interest in the STEM field.

To receive the nomination from the Dauphin Regional Comprehensive Secondary School, Iwanchysko had to complete an essay outlining what she sees as her three biggest accomplishments and where she sees herself in 10 years.

For her accomplishments, Iwanchysko first looked to her life as a musician.

“I have been playing piano for 10 years, played and sang for a church choir, jazz band and then with the Royal Conservatory of Music. And that’s like festivals, exams, everything like that,” she said, adding her second biggest accomplishment was her service as student council president this past year.

“So that was organizing assemblies and fund-raisers and some of the more serious issues of the school, too. And then just getting the student body involved in activities.”

Finally, Iwanchysko pointed to her academic success, receiving the highest math mark for Grade 12 pre-calculus and maintaining an overall average of 98 per cent.

As for where she sees herself in 10 years, Iwanchysko has big plans.

“I put as a project manager, potentially with my own company, working on designing and building skyscrapers in a big city,” she said.

After receiving the nomination from the DRCSS, Iwanchysko shopped it around to the University of Manitoba and the University of Saskatchewan.

It was the U of S that responded first.

“They sent me an email saying that I had received the scholarship. So that was where I was going to go. I couldn’t turn down something like that,” she said, adding the funds will be forwarded to her in $30,000 installments annually to support her education.

But beyond having their tuition, books and living expenses covered, Schulich Leaders receive a few perks, such as campus welcome tours, regional networking events, learning opportunities with top faculty members, access to top STEM employers and mentorship from university leadership.
Iwanchysko’s academic year starts, Aug. 31, with the first year focussing on core engineering subjects before focussing on a specific area of engineering.

“It can be any type of engineering so I was more interested in the civil side of things,” Iwanchysko said.

“I’m really open to anything, honestly, but I’m leaning towards civil engineering.”

Iwanchysko added she will be sharing an apartment with two other Schulich Leaders who reached out to her after she received the scholarship.