Bolton graduate lands $100,000 Schulich Leader Scholarship

Written By ALYSSA PARKHILL

One local high school graduate has earned the opportunity of a lifetime, and a chance to enrich his future.

Luca Filippelli won the Schulich Leader Scholarship of $100,000, and the title of becoming a Schulich Leader, last month. With his stellar grades and hard work at St. Michael's Secondary School, Filippelli will now be off to study Computer Engineering at York University. 

The Schulich Leader Scholarships was launched back in 2012 by philanthropist Seymour Schulich, who believed in the future of hard working, and exceptional young minds that demonstrate great leadership and embrace STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields. More than $200 million has been earmarked for individual scholarships, awarding 100 promising high school students who are looking to study at the top Canadian universities. 

The program is funded by the Schulich Foundation and Co-Administered by the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto.

Schulich Leaders is targeted for Canadian and Israeli students who excel and pursue STEM programs at university.

Filippelli was nominated by guidance councillor and teacher Jennifer Gouveia, who has known Filippelli since Grade 9 and was more than thrilled to hear the news that he won. 

“I met Luca when he first came to St. Mikes four years ago when he was in grade nine, he was a student in my grade nine French class,” said Gouveia. “I noticed he was extremely shy & quiet, and super polite and he proved quickly to be very dedicated and hardworking.”

Throughout the four years, Gouveia watched her young student grow and remain dedicated amidst the life of high school, which made him the perfect nominee for the Schulich Leader Scholarship. It wasn't a huge surprise to the local teacher when she learned Luca had won the award. 

“I was so proud. Honestly, it's such an accomplishment to graduate from high school, then in addition with the high academic standing over all four years of high school, but to graduate and win over one of 100 scholarships that graduating students all across Canada have been nominated for. To me, that's incredible,” she said. “I was very proud of him.” 

Nominations come from all over Canada, and Luca was thrilled, but surprised at the same time that he won over the long list of other high school graduates. 

“It felt awesome. It felt like success really, that I applied, and it was just amazing to get,” he said. “Really I thought I had little chance because there were so many qualified people to win, but the fact that my school and the people who were assessing this achievement, saw something in my work and my application and my character, was big for me.” 

Filippelli is excited to attend York University for Computer Engineering and says he's most looking forward to his classes, professors and learning more about his area of interest. 

“At first I was interested in Bio-Medical Engineering, then after doing research about biomedical, I became interested in computer engineering,” he said. “It was really because of my research in one field, I became interested in the other. Just the general use of modern technology, how impactful those areas of engineering are.”