Five grad students receive Wilson Leadership Scholar Award

Five graduate students from three different Faculties are among the 11 recipients of this year’s Wilson Leadership Scholar Award.

Launched by Chancellor Emeritus L.R. Wilson as a leadership development pilot, the program first recruited three students per year and expanded to six new students per year by the pilot’s end. Now a regular McMaster program, the award will include 10 students annually.

This year is an exception, however, says Liz Koblyk, associate director of the program.

“The quality of the applicants was so high that we had to offer an additional award. While we would have loved to include all finalists in the program, we are grateful to be able to welcome 11 new Wilson Leaders for September 2022.”

Winners come from a range of Faculties and programs, and their proposed projects align with the Future of Canada Project 2022 research themes, the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, or both.

Graduate Wilson Leaders

• Madison Brockbank (Social Sciences)
• Erin Mahwinney (Health Sciences)
• Lulwama Mulalu (Health Sciences)
• Amandeep Saini (Health Sciences)
• Zahra Tootonsab (Humanities).

Undergraduate Wilson Leaders

• Josiah Butt (Health Sciences)
• Nisha Gill (Arts and Science)
• Simi Jayeoba (Engineering)
• Anu Popoola (Health Sciences)
• Sydney Potts (Arts and Science)
• Hrithik Sharma (DeGroote School of Business)

Each member of the cohort will receive $12,000 in direct funding and up to $2,000 for experiential learning that could not be obtained solely through their academic program. The cohort will also co-lead problem-based learning sessions and shared reading discussions on national issues and learn directly from speakers and mentors.

Arlene Dosen, director of Student Success, says that Chancellor Emeritus Wilson’s vision for the award was ahead of its time.

“McMaster University continues to further align with the key principles of the Wilson Leadership Scholar Award, giving students more opportunities to apply their disciplinary learning in experiential and interdisciplinary contexts. We’re grateful to Dr. Wilson not only for his generosity, but also for his flexibility in allowing the program to respond to the needs and the potential of the Wilson Leaders.”

The newest cohort of Wilson Leaders will start the program in September 2022. Applications for the 2023–24 cohort will open by October 2022.