Two UBC New students awarded $60,000 Scholarships to study in STEM

Schulich Leader Scholarships

Two incoming first-year students – Jake Bian and Gurman Khera – will receive $60,000 each over four years from the Schulich Leader Scholarships program to study at the University of British Columbia.

Schulich Leader Scholarships recognize and support students across Canada who demonstrate excellence in academics and community leadership and plan to study in a STEM (science, technology, engineering or mathematics) faculty during their undergraduate degree.

Jake Bian, from Huron Heights Secondary School in Kitchener, Ontario, has won multiple Skills Canada awards for graphic design and has been school champion in several math competitions. An accomplished musician, he combined his passion for math and music to create an original composition transcribing the digits of ‘Pi’(π) and ‘e’ to music. Bian has developed e-learning and non-profit websites and applications. He is also a co-founder of student-run United Learners, an innovative online resource with projects designed to help high achieving students reach their potential and engage in meaningful projects relevant to their education and career goals.

Gurman Khera is an honor roll student from L.A. Matheson Secondary in Surrey, BC, who has won many academic awards. She is active in school programs as a peer tutor, peer mediator and student council member. She is also a regular volunteer with community organizations such as Surrey Memorial Hospital, Amenida Surrey Senior’s Community, Surrey Nature Centre and the SPIRIT Program. Khera is multilingual and participates in activities that support various international non-profits such as Amnesty International, We Day, and Because I am a Girl Foundation.

Bian and Khera were selected from a pool of Schulich Leader Nominees who applied their nomination to UBC. Every Canadian high school, secondary school and CEGEP could nominate one student each to be eligible to receive the scholarship. In 2013, 40 students were awarded scholarships out of 996 nominees