Kitsilano Secondary student Michelle Xie has been named a 2026 Schulich Leader at the University of British Columbia (UBC), earning a $100,000 entrance scholarship. 

Michelle is one of 100 high school graduates across Canada receiving a Schulich Leader Scholarship this year. The national program recognizes students who demonstrate academic excellence in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM), along with entrepreneurial leadership and financial need. 

The Schulich Leader Scholarships program was established in 2012 to support entrepreneurial-minded students pursuing undergraduate STEM education. Each year, the program awards 50 engineering scholarships valued at $120,000 and 50 science, technology or math scholarships valued at $100,000. 

Michelle’s interest in technology came from a personal experience. After her grandmother had a brain bleed and lost the ability to communicate, Michelle began thinking about how technology could help people regain independence. 

After learning to code, Michelle noticed that many students found technology intimidating. She founded the Kitsilano Hackathon Club so beginners could learn without pressure. As club president, she developed weekly lessons in Python, web development and artificial intelligence. She has taught more than 30 students and led teams in international competitions, including Nature Hacks, where the group placed third. 

Michelle also founded Brick2Byte, an online resource hub that helps small businesses improve their digital operations. The platform includes more than 70 tools and funding resources. It has been used by more than 100 businesses. 

“The more I worked with students and small businesses, the more I realized that understanding people was just as important as understanding the technicalities,” Michelle writes in her scholarship application. 

Michelle brings the same people-centred approach to her community leadership. As a youth health ambassador with the McCreary Centre Society, vice-president of Youth Justice Link and junior instructor with UBC’s Geering Up program, she has used research, advocacy and STEM education to support young people across B.C. 

At UBC, Michelle plans to study cognitive science or computational neuroscience, with a focus on human-computer interaction. She is especially interested in technologies that could help people with reduced speech or mobility regain independence. 

“The curiosity that began in my grandmother’s room has grown into my long-term goal to build tools that can meaningfully improve communication and independence for people whose lives have been limited by injury or illness,” she says.