Maples Met School Grade 12 student Girish Nischal has been named a 2026 Schulich Leader Scholar at the University of Calgary, earning a prestigious $100,000 scholarship in recognition of his outstanding achievements in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

The Schulich Leader Scholarships are Canada’s most coveted undergraduate STEM scholarships, awarded annually to exceptional students who demonstrate academic excellence, leadership, and entrepreneurial potential.

Nischal’s accomplishments extend well beyond the classroom. He recently received the RBC Arnold Chan Memorial Award for Student Innovation through the High School Big Data Challenge 2024–2025 and earned a Silver Provincial Medal in the Senior Category at the Manitoba Schools’ Science Symposium.

He also completed an internship with Neralake, an AI-powered startup based in Winnipeg, where he gained valuable experience in emerging technologies and artificial intelligence.

This fall, Nischal will attend the University of Calgary to pursue studies in Computer Science and Physics, building on a remarkable record of innovation and academic success.