event Published 2026-07-22 18:47:55.432 +0000 UTC
Congratulations to Shiv Patel on being selected to receive a $100,000 Schulich Leader Scholarship to study Computing in the Faculty of Arts and Science at Queen’s University in Kingston.
A graduate of Mississauga Secondary School, Patel was nominated by Mr. Carrega, Head, Curriculum – Guidance, for his outstanding academic achievements. Patel will enter the Computing program in fall 2026.
The Schulich Leader Scholarship awards a total of 100 scholarships, 50 engineering scholarships valued at $120,000 each and 50 science, technology or math scholarships valued at $100,000 each.
“We are delighted to honour Shiv Patel as a Schulich Leader, now part of a community of high achieving scholars across Canada. Their curiosity and drive will advance STEM innovation,” says Judy Schulich, President, The Schulich Foundation.
Patel said winning the scholarship felt reassuring that his hard work paid off, and it will provide him more time to work on passion projects, by easing the financial burden that comes with attending post-secondary school.
“[Throughout high school], I learned to be resourceful, but that constant scrambling also takes something out of you. This scholarship changes that. It gives me the one thing I’ve never really had enough of: time. Instead of stressing about how to pay for school, I can actually put my energy into the work. Going deep on hard, specific problems, doing real research and design, and pushing further than I could before. It’s the difference between just getting by and actually being able to build something that matters.”
As for his career aspirations, Patel plans to build a Canadian startup to tackle the current challenges with Artificial Intelligence. His main goal is to, “get systems to grasp what people actually mean, not just produce plausible-sounding answers.” Winning the scholarship will assist Patel with his career goals financially and provide him with a community of likeminded individuals and future innovators.
“Being connected to other Schulich Leaders, mentors, and future founders across the country. That kind of network is exactly what I need to go from building prototypes in my basement to building something that can actually compete on a bigger stage.”
Peel District School Board would like to thank Schulich Leader Scholarship and wishes Shiv the best of luck on his post-secondary journey.