Avery co-founded the McMaster Alt Protein Project, an initiative driven by a group of interdisciplinary students dedicated to expanding alternative protein research and innovation. She volunteers for the Neighbour 2 Neighbour Community Centre in their low-income grocery program. During a Loran summer, Avery worked with the Pembina Institute in their Equitable Transitions department exploring the social implications of a transition toward renewable energy. She is currently pursuing a BEng in chemical engineering with a minor in community engagement.

Emma is studying biomedical engineering and health sciences, specializing in materials engineering. She co-founded the McMaster Engineering Jazz Band and plays the trombone. She is also involved in the engineering community as a co-chair of an advocacy and leadership-focused engineering conference and an engineering welcome week representative. She spent one Loran summer doing biomaterials research at McMaster, and another at Campus Alberta Neuroscience, a research and innovation hub based in Calgary. Currently, Emma is conducting research on machine-learning, protein-engineering approaches for malaria vaccine development at SickKids hospital. In her free time, Emma enjoys playing intramural hockey and soccer.

Hannah is studying at McMaster University in the health sciences program with a concurrent certificate in rehabilitation sciences. She is the president of the Global Medical Missions Alliance, which brings together students passionate about mission work and healthcare. She also advocates for accessibility in her community as a board member of the Accessibility Hamilton Alliance, volunteers at a local food bank, and helps lead the Alpha group at McMaster. Hannah spent one Loran summer as a research assistant with the Praxis Spinal Cord Institute, working on knowledge translation projects for rural British Columbia, and one summer with Doctors of the World UK, supporting refugees and asylum seekers in accessing primary care.

Ryan is pursuing a bachelor of commerce through the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University. He is an executive member of Cure Cancer Classic, a student-run non-profit organization that raises funds for the Canadian Cancer Society through golf and hockey-related events. Ryan is also a captain, leading his team in a weekly community hockey league. He had the privilege of broadening his global perspective while studying abroad at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland, as part of an academic exchange program. During his Loran community development summer, Ryan worked at the Shine Foundation, helping to create brighter futures for young people in Canada aged 11–21 living with severe physical disabilities.

Kaitlyn is pursuing a B.Sc. in integrated science, with a specialization in neuroscience and immunology at the University of British Columbia. She has been involved in her community on campus as a volunteer lead for the AMS food bank by organizing activities to promote food security for students. Kaitlyn has completed a project investigating the effects of the SPI1 gene on the progression of Alzheimer’s disease as an undergraduate researcher at the Centre for Brain Health. She is now exploring the correlation between gut health and brain function through a research project focused on host-microbiome interactions in inflammatory bowel disease. In her free time, Kaitlyn enjoys going on hikes and staying active in her French community in Vancouver.

Kaia is studying health and society with a concentration in economics at the University of Calgary, where she serves as vice-president of events for a club focused on connecting and enriching the experience of students in her program, and as a student medical responder with the UCalgary Student Medical Response Team. Off campus, she is a volunteer coordinator and assistant instructor at Prairie Sky Equine Assisted Therapy, which provides horseback riding lessons to individuals with physical and cognitive disabilities. Kaia is also the chairperson of the KidSport chapter she founded in her hometown, which helps families facing financial barriers to access organized sport. She spent one summer working with a provincial KidSport chapter in British Columbia, and another working with Doctors of the World in England.

While pursuing their B.Sc. in mathematics, Julia co-founded and continues to lead MycoNurseries, a non-profit focused on sustainably growing oyster mushrooms, which has received over $35,000 in funding. When not in the mushroom lab, Julia works at the McGill Office of Sustainability as a sustainable labs intern. They enjoy spending their free time in nature, reading, or learning more about the world. Also an avid writer, they wrote an article on their nonbinary identity for CBC and interned in the communications department of the India Autism Center.

Nain is an electrical engineering student at the University of Waterloo. As a consultant on the executive team for the university’s chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers, he provides guidance following his term as its president. In addition to his entrepreneurial pursuits, he also contributes to Socratica, a student-led builder community, by supporting event planning and fostering collaboration. In his spare time, Nain actively participates in the Waterloo tech innovation ecosystem, attending events like the Global Executive Summit to stay connected and be inspired by cutting-edge advancements.

Jack is finishing his third year of arts and science at McMaster University. He is a senior emergency medical responder with McMaster’s Emergency First Response Team, where he trains for and responds to medical emergencies on the university campus. He is also the Hamilton regional bowl lead for Ethics Bowl Canada, which delivers ethics-focused, debate-like competitions to high school students. Jack completed an independent summer as a wildland firefighter on an initial attack crew in Burns Lake, BC, and spent his enterprise summer working as an agricultural scout at Kroeker Farms in Winkler, MB.

Pursuing a B.Sc. in astrophysics, Zaneb volunteers at the university’s Rothney Astrophysical Observatory to promote interests in STEM. They volunteer at the public library as part of numeracy and literacy programs, working with children to support them outside of the classroom. They spent their Loran community development summer interning with Women’s Shelters Canada, researching the role of telecommunications companies in enabling human rights abuses against victims and survivors of gender-based violence