Cansbridge Fellows set to take on the world

Four Faculty of Arts and Science students were accepted to the Cansbridge Fellowship - Emily Talas (Concurrent Education Program, Health Studies Major, and completing a Certificate in Business), Gonzalo Soto (Economics, Engineering), Aidan Gurung (Global Development Studies, English Minor), and Lauren Carsen (Physics). The unique Fellowship program is made up of three parts - the Silicon Valley Experience, the Asia Summer Internship, and the Cansbridge Network.

With the current state of the pandemic, the bootcamp and conference are set to take place in Squamish, British Columbia. This is a shift from the Silicon Valley setting but Cansbridge will still provide the same high-quality experience for everyone attending. During the conference, previous fellows will fly in from around the world to meet our current cohort and get re-acquainted.

Accommodation and flights for new Fellows are sponsored by the Cansbridge Fellowship.

Regarding the Asia internship this summer, both Soto and Talas have decided to move forward with their applications. Fellows have worked in Tokyo, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Bangalore, Jakarta, and more and each fellow is awarded a $10,000 scholarship for their internship. Fellows are expected to find these internships on their own but are supported by previous fellows and mentors.

“Congratulations to Gonzalo, Aiden, Lauren, and Emily for earning this Fellowship and embarking on what I’m sure will be a life-changing experience,” says Dean Barbara Crow, Faculty of Arts and Science. “These Fellowships will help widen their academic networks and accelerate their careers.”

Soto says Fellowship has tremendously impacted his career aspirations and he no longer feels the need to conform to his environment; he aspires to drive real change.

“When I first discovered the Cansbridge Fellowship, I was looking to immerse myself in an entrepreneurial ecosystem where I could collaborate and build with others,” says Soto. “Seeing the calibre of undergraduate students who'd been a part of the program helped me realize the impact we could have at a young age. Thankfully, my time and involvement across organizations such as QMIND (Queen's AI Hub) and the Queen's Startup Summit gave me the necessary leadership experience to be prepared for the recruitment process.”

Talas says the Cansbridge Fellowship will have an enormous impact on the trajectory of her future career.

“The fellowship will give me the opportunity to explore opportunities on an international scale, that will help me address the issues that I am passionate about from a different perspective. Additionally, I will be surrounded by like-minded and passionate student change-makers that will push me even further to fight for the things that I believe in and create change in the world.”

For more information on the Cansbridge Fellowship, visit the website.