KEC student wins Schulich scholarship

East Kildonan

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This article was published 05/06/2023 (1092 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Sometimes, you need to create your own opportunities.

When Simar Singh Ubhi was a Grade 10 student at Kildonan-East Collegiate, he had spent the previous year learning to read and write computer code during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. When he went looking for job opportunities to practise what he’d been learning in a real-world setting, he couldn’t find any.

“No company would really hire a Grade 10, so I tried to find non-profits who would take me in,” said Ubhi, who is among 100 Schulich Leader scholarship winners from across Canada. The award, which is presented annually to students studying science, technology, engineering, and math who are making a positive impact in their communities, is valued at $120,000.

Ubhi quickly found a chance to do volunteer webwork for ReelHeART Festival Group, a non-profit based in Ontario that hosts film festivals. Shortly thereafter, he began volunteering for CareFind, a small business in Alberta, which connects parents with childcare services.

“I was in daycare most of my life, so I know how hard it is for parents to find childcare,” Ubhi said, adding that he still volunteers for both organizations.

Ubhi, who will graduate from KEC later this month and plans to study computer engineering at the University of Manitoba in the fall, also started a non-profit organization, Developers of Change, specifically to address the need he discovered for young coders to get meaningful work experience with non-profit organizations.

“It was really important for me, and I know there are a lot of talented people out there,” he said. “This is an environment they can make mistakes and learn.”

“Simar is one of the most exceptional students I have encountered in my 12 years of teaching,” said Mandeep Grewal, who taught Ubhi Grade 11 pre-calculus and Grade 12 physics. “He is a very bright student with natural abilities and good study habits. However, his exceptional level of achievement in his courses is attributable to diligence, hard work and perseverance.”

“He’s truly outstanding,” added Daryl Budakowski, who teaches chemistry at KEC. “Such a diligent and mature student. Amazingly organized in all aspects of his studies. A great leader in the class who is ready to help classmates both with academics and laboratory work.”

“He’s an excellent student, very tenacious, very unassuming, and took the top mark in every class,” said Kathryn Athayde, who teaches computer science at KEC. “As I got to know him, I realized he had an impressive set of self-taught skills in web page coding.”

Athayde encouraged Ubhi to take part in the Skills Manitoba competition for computer science, where he won gold. He won gold again at the recent Skills Canada competition, and will represent Canada at the world competition in Lyon, France in the summer of 2024.

“To me, Simar exemplifies the ideal 21st century learner,” Athayde added. “He identifies what he wants to learn and takes charge of acquiring the skills using both traditional and non-traditional sources. I’m very impressed with Simar and his determination to use technology for the betterment of society.”

Winning the Schulich Leader award not only allows Ubhi the financial freedom to pursue his studies to the fullest, but also access to other like-minded students and mentors.

“It opens up a lot of opportunities,” he said. “Schulich gives me direct access to a lot of people who are high achievers and who have made a difference in their communities. It brings me close to those people.”

His parents, of course, are also proud of their son and his accomplishments.

“They’re thrilled,” Ubhi said.