It’s difficult to draw similarities between Rhodes Scholars with varied backgrounds and interests, but for the most recent Canadian recipients of the prestigious award, three had participated in a unique learning program open to high school students.
According to Kaleem Hawa, an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto and a 2015 Rhodes Scholar, the SHAD program helped him in finding a connection between global health pandemics and policy studies.
“I participated in the SHAD program in what would be grade 11 at the Laval University campus and it worked well for me because I always had an interest in science and I had a great time with the program,” says Hawa. “After that I went to the University of Toronto for my undergraduate degree and I credit my multi-disciplinary experience to the program.”
Like all Rhodes Scholars, Hawa gets a chance to study at Oxford University, where he plans on focusing on global pandemic preparedness, and methods for preparing for such pandemics as SARS.
