Laurier prepares to welcome grade 10 and 11 students during Shad Laurier 2024, empowering future STEAM and entrepreneurship leaders

June 24, 2024
For Immediate Release

Wilfrid Laurier University will welcome 64 grade 10 and 11 students from across Canada from June 30 to July 26 as part of the Shad Laurier program. The experiential program aims to build high-potential high school students’ skills and knowledge in science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics (STEAM) and entrepreneurship.

The vision for Shad Laurier 2024 is to use the program’s strengths in leadership, innovation and community engagement to empower young leaders. The program includes field trips, hands-on lab exercises, lectures, panel discussions, art workshops, an alumni dinner, a closing banquet and other engaging activities.

“This year, Shad participants will experience the best that Laurier has to offer across its Waterloo and Brantford campuses,” said Joseph Monks, Shad Laurier program director and external outreach coordinator in the Faculty of Education. “Led by our dedicated Laurier staff, faculty and community members, the Shad Laurier 2024 program is crafted to engage, inspire and empower participants through diverse experiences in science, arts and entrepreneurship.”

Laurier first became a Shad Canada university partner in 2019. Since its inaugural cohort in 2021, Laurier has hosted nearly 200 students from across Canada and around the world as part of virtual and in-person programming.

During the month-long Shad Laurier 2024 program, students will participate in a design entrepreneurship challenge, applying their knowledge and skills to develop innovative and practical solutions to a real-world social or economic problem. Students will learn from Laurier professors working across disciplines to better understand topics from a variety of angles and perspectives. At the end of the program, students will present their solutions in front of a panel of expert judges.

“We are thrilled to welcome students for Shad Laurier 2024 as they learn from remarkable Laurier researchers and build connections with leading organizations in the Kitchener-Waterloo and Brantford-Brant regions,” said Faculty of Education Dean Maria Cantalini-Williams. “The program’s design entrepreneurship challenge will be a cornerstone of their experience, inspiring them to be changemakers in their communities and beyond.”

Media and members of the Laurier community are invited to Shad Laurier 2024 “Open Day,” taking place Thursday, July 25 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the Senate and Board Chamber on Laurier’s Waterloo campus. Open Day will showcase students' accomplishments in the design entrepreneurship challenge.

About Shad Canada

Shad Canada is a STEAM and entrepreneurship program for students in Grade 10 and Grade 11 that includes partnerships with 23 Canadian universities. During the month-long program, students live on campus, attend workshops in university labs, and participate in a real-world design challenge that tackles social and economic challenges. The Shad program, first launched in 1981, is transformational and life changing. Many of its more than 20,000 alumni go on to make significant contributions in their chosen fields globally. Learn more at shad.ca.