By their early teens, new SFU undergraduate students Bryan Ma and Noah Kay were already forging their paths in engineering and AI, respectively. In Grade 9, Ma wrote a letter to his future self about his intentions to go into engineering, while Kay began developing a strong interest in AI at the age of 13.
Fast forward to 2025, both Ma and Kay are recipients of the Schulich Leader Scholarship, one of Canada's most coveted awards for high school graduates enroling in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields. Ma is being awarded a $120,000 scholarship in engineering science, and Kay will receive a $100,000 scholarship toward his computing science degree.
SFU undergraduate students Bryan Ma and Noah Kay are the 2025 recipients of the Schulich Leader Scholarship.
Ma, who enthusiastically ran three clubs and served on the executive of a fourth in his high school community where he even personally designed and led the construction of a custom table for his school's rooftop deck was fast to leverage his network as a Schulich Leader Scholar. After one of his clubs, reFila, received a $15,000 grant to buy machinery to recycle plastic into 3D printer filament, Ma approached his SFU contacts about placing bins in university labs to collect 3D printed waste for this initiative.
"I really enjoy contributing to the community and mentoring others, so winning the Schulich Leader Scholarship felt like a testament to the time and effort I dedicated to that," he says. "The scholarship has also allowed me to make connections to advance the projects I care deeply about. I am extremely thankful to SFU and the Schulich Foundation for this incredible opportunity."
Similarly, Kay has been tackling several AI-centric side projects over the years, including a tool he developed to help his brother isolate drum tracks while learning songs. What started as a personal solution evolved into a comprehensive app for creatives, which has seen more than 5,000 downloads to date.
This past summer, Kay worked as a software engineer for an AI voice-to-text app, with a focus on enhancing its capabilities for privacy-conscious users.
"I'm grateful to the Schulich Foundation for enabling me to pursue my passion for AI at full force and immerse myself in my academic and entrepreneurial ventures," he says. "I'm excited to be part of something that can change the world in unimaginable ways, and to make sure I play a part in the responsible development of it."
As problem-solvers at heart, both Ma and Kay are looking forward to expanding their horizons through coursework, research and co-op opportunities and getting more involved with the SFU community most importantly, they hope to build things that will improve lives and shape a better world.
About Schulich Leader Scholarships Canada
Recognizing the increasing importance and impact that STEM disciplines will have on the prosperity of future generations, businessman and philanthropist Seymour Schulich established this $100+ million scholarship fund in 2012 to encourage our best and brightest students to become Schulich Leader Scholars: the next generation of entrepreneurial-minded, technology innovators.
Through the Schulich Foundation, these prestigious entrance scholarships are awarded to 100 high school graduates enroling in a science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) undergraduate program at 20 partner universities in Canada. Every high school in Canada can submit one Schulich Leader Nominee per academic year based on academic excellence in STEM, entrepreneurial leadership and financial need.
Learn more about Seymour Schulich's best-selling book, "Get Smarter."
