Two BC students who share an interest in entrepreneurship and community building will start their studies at the University of Victoria this fall. They are two of the one hundred elite recipients of this year’s Schulich Leader Scholarship.
Scarlett Steyn (she/her) is the 2025 Schulich Leader Scholar in engineering and graduated from Princess Margaret Secondary School in Penticton. Lottie Campbell (she/her) was named the 2025 Schulich Leader Scholar in sciences and is joining UVic after graduating from Esquimalt High School in Victoria. Both Steyn and Campbell have demonstrated academic excellence, leadership and entrepreneurship within their schools and communities.
Driving innovation, entrepreneurship and outreach in robotics
Steyn was drawn to engineering because it combines two of her passions: people and problem solving.
“I love engineering because I like optimizing things and immediately seeing the impact of my work. I enjoy collaborating with others to find creative solutions. It’s a field where teamwork, entrepreneurship and innovation work closely together.”
– Scarlett Steyn
Schulich Leaders are recognized as Canada’s top entrepreneurial-minded STEM students, a distinction Steyn demonstrates through her ambitious career goals. She aspires to start an engineering firm owned and run by women.
“My dream is to design, create and manufacture innovative robots using repurposed materials, working alongside other female engineers,” she says.
Steyn’s journey to STEM and entrepreneurship has been shaped by her innovation, which she brings into all aspects of her life. In her second year on the Penticton Robotics Team, the team faced a shortage of building materials. She came up with a creative solution: reaching out to her local hockey team, the Penticton Vees, to procure recycled carbon-fibre hockey sticks. These were repurposed to build a mechanical lift system that earned the team the Creativity Award at the FIRST Robotics Canadian Pacific Regional Competition. In her final year, the team went on to win first place at that same competition.
“I feel my experience on the Penticton Robotics Team not only influenced my future in ways I couldn’t imagine but also gave me powerful insight into both the entrepreneurial and engineering worlds,” she says.
Now beginning her post-secondary education at UVic, Steyn is eager to keep that momentum going and get involved in campus life. She’s looking forward to connecting with her professors, joining some of UVic’s 150 clubs and finding her place in the academic community.
“Coming from a small town, I was looking for a university with a strong sense of community, which UVic has. The people here support each other; there are lots of events and the faculty are focused on the students and what they need. UVic’s core values align with mine.”
– Scarlett Steyn
A passion for chemistry, research and entrepreneurship leads to UVic
Campbell’s love for science started at a very young age. She has childhood memories of telling strangers in the grocery store about her favourite scientists. Michael Rampino, of the PBS NOVA program Mystery of the Megavolcano, was a notable favourite. “Three-year-old me was obsessed with him,” she laughs.
That early interest in science grew into a love of chemistry, and she’s pursuing this passion through her degree at UVic in the fall. She chose the university for its reputation for research and hands-on learning opportunities.
“I spoke with people in my faculty and learned about the research opportunities I can get involved with early on in my degree, which is exciting. That type of experience is unique to UVic and was a huge factor in my decision.”
– Lottie Campbell
Campbell is well-acquainted with research labs. In the summer of 2023, she was selected for an internship at the Molecular Cellular Immunology Core (MCIC) at BC Cancer’s Deeley Research Centre. She doesn’t plan to pursue a career in medical research, but the experience proved invaluable. It solidified her professional ambition of working as a chemical researcher in a lab.
“While I’ve known for years I wanted to pursue applied scientific research, I could not have predicted how instantly I felt at home in the lab,” she says.
Outside the lab, Campbell is an entrepreneur, leader and community builder. She co-founded Esquimalt High School’s Women in STEM club. The club organized field trips to local research facilities and hosted guest speakers, including her MCIC supervisor Katy Milne and the president and chief operating officer of GRT Claire Lewis.
“It’s been amazing to see the community we built together. Even though I’ve graduated, I want to continue to foster that group,” she says.
For Campbell, becoming a Schulich Leader is not only an incredible personal achievement, but also an opportunity to pay it forward.
“The Schulich Leaders program is an incredible network. I look forward to building connections and giving back to the next generation of women in STEM, particularly my high school club. They’ve played a huge role in helping me get to where I am today.”
– Lottie Campbell
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 the Schulich Leaders Scholarships in 2012. This transformative $100+ million fund is designed to encourage the best and brightest students to become Schulich Leader Scholars: the next generation of entrepreneurial-minded, technology innovators.
Awarded through The Schulich Foundation, these prestigious entrance scholarships support 100 high school graduates enrolling in a science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) undergraduate program at 20 partner universities across Canada.
Every high school in the country is invited to submit one Schulich Leader Nominee per academic year. Nominees are selected based on academic excellence in STEM, entrepreneurial leadership and financial need.
