Young AI innovator from Mississauga earns $100,000 prize to pursue his vision

A Mississauga high school graduate is heading to Queen’s University with a major financial boost after being selected for one of Canada’s most prestigious undergraduate scholarships.

Shiv Patel, a graduate of Mississauga Secondary School, has been awarded a $100,000 Schulich Leader Scholarship to study computing in the Faculty of Arts and Science at Queen’s University in Kingston.

Patel was nominated for the award by Gregory Carrega, Head of Curriculum – Guidance at Mississauga Secondary School, in recognition of his outstanding academic achievements and his passion for innovation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

The Schulich Leader Scholarship program awards 100 scholarships annually across Canada, including 50 engineering scholarships valued at $120,000 each and 50 scholarships valued at $100,000 each for students pursuing studies in science, technology or mathematics.

The scholarship is designed to support students who demonstrate academic excellence, leadership potential and a drive to create solutions to some of the world’s biggest challenges.

For Patel, the award represents more than financial support — it provides the freedom to focus on his work and future goals.

“Throughout high school, I learned to be resourceful, but that constant scrambling also takes something out of you,” Patel said. “This scholarship changes that. It gives me the one thing I’ve never really had enough of: time.”

“Instead of stressing about how to pay for school, I can actually put my energy into the work — going deep on hard, specific problems, doing real research and design, and pushing further than I could before.”

Patel said he hopes to use his education and experience to eventually launch a Canadian startup focused on addressing challenges in artificial intelligence.

His goal is to help create AI systems that better understand human intent, rather than simply generating responses that sound convincing.

“Get systems to grasp what people actually mean, not just produce plausible-sounding answers,” Patel said when describing his ambitions.

The scholarship will also connect Patel with a national network of Schulich Leaders, mentors and future innovators — a community he hopes will help him turn his ideas into real-world solutions.

“That kind of network is exactly what I need to go from building prototypes in my basement to building something that can actually compete on a bigger stage,” he said.

Judy Schulich, president of the Schulich Foundation, said the scholarship recipients represent some of the country’s most promising young innovators.

“We are delighted to honour Shiv Patel as a Schulich Leader, now part of a community of high-achieving scholars across Canada,” Schulich said. “Their curiosity and drive will advance STEM innovation.”

Patel will begin the Computing program at Queen’s University in fall 2026.