Celebrating UCalgary’s next generation of entrepreneurs

As Canada’s entrepreneurial university, UCalgary empowers students to think boldly, take risks and pursue excellence in entrepreneurial thinking.

Thanks to the vision and generosity of our community, two prestigious awards are fueling student innovation and recognizing outstanding achievement.

Undergraduate students Sunand Kannappan, Tania Rizwan, Zaky Qasimi, and Sydney Gilliss are the 2025 recipients of the Cannon Lachapelle Award in Entrepreneurial Thinking, established by  President Emerita Elizabeth Cannon and Professor Emeritus Gérard Lachapelle.

Graduate students Reza Ahmadi, Mohsen Hassani, Yaser Rahmaniani, Julien Rimok, Mohammad Alikarami, and Madeline Springle received the Elizabeth Cannon & Gérard Lachapelle Graduate Scholarship in Entrepreneurial Thinking. This scholarship is now funded in perpetuity through a $7.5-million gift from an anonymous donor — the third-largest graduate endowment in UCalgary’s history — ensuring lasting support for Calgary’s future innovators.

Read more about these entrepreneurial students.

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