Meet McMaster’s 2021 Loran Scholar

A McMaster Faculty of Health Sciences student is among the 30 students selected from thousands of applicants across Canada for this year’s prestigious Loran Scholarship.

Tasneem Alnahhas, a first-year Bachelor of Health Sciences (BHSc) student from Ottawa, started at McMaster in September.

“I was shocked and extremely grateful that I received a Loran award,” said Alnahhas, who attended high school in Kanata.

“I feel it is important for me to keep giving back to my community, because the one we have here at McMaster is very tight-knit and supportive, looking out for us and willing us to succeed.”

Valued at $100,000 over four years, Loran scholarships are awarded to students who, through a rigorous selection process, demonstrate strength of character, a deep commitment to service, evidence of courage and compassion, and an entrepreneurial spirit.

In high school, Alnahhas started a community outreach club helping new students connect with their community, through workshops such as painting with Alzheimer’s patients.

Alnahhas is also an avid coder, learning under the guidance of a computer science teacher who pushed her to master new skills she never thought possible.

The result was Symphony, a video chat app that connects immigrants with volunteers who help them develop their language and communication skills for job interviews.

Further afield, Alnahhas was involved in a United Nations (UN) initiative to create a five-year plan for providing 25,000 Cambodian women with the skills they need to join the digital economy. She is also a UN Sustainable Development Goal Ambassador.

“No matter what skill or hobby you enjoy, you need to start somewhere and just build yourself up to where you want to be,” said Alnahhas.

Of the more than 700 past and present Loran Scholars, 35 have attended McMaster over the last three decades, including Sheiry Dhillon who became a Rhodes Scholar in 2012.

To learn more about the Loran Scholars Foundation, visit their website.