Graduating Humboldt Collegiate student Gabriel Rodriguez has been selected as one of the few scholars across the country to receive one of the prestigious Schulich Leader Scholarships. The awards are valued at a total of $80,000 comprised of a $20,000 disbursement for each of 4 years. This is the 10th year of the scholarship program which honours the top students in the country in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). 

Rodriguez will use the award money to further his studies in computer science at the University of Calgary in the fall. Interested in computers from a young age, Rodriguez has parlayed his curiosity, talent, and hard work into an entry level computing gig already with an indie game producer. 

“When I got laid off from my part time job because of the pandemic, I had to look for online jobs,” explains Rodriguez, “And I came across this independent game development company. I applied for a job where I make the digital art for the game.”

Rodriguez employs a combination of artistic design to create backgrounds and visual elements, and then he uses his coding skills to help the company, which is centred in China, to integrate his work into the final product. It’s a creative combination of skill sets that has served him well as he hones his coding skills. 

Ultimately, Rodriguez has goals beyond game development in his career. While his current project pays the bills, he has designs on other avenues.

“My main interest is software engineering or software development, but I could also see myself pursuing artificial intelligence and machine learning.”

Those fields would put Rodriguez on the leading edge of spheres as diverse as robotics, engineering, finance, or virtually any branch of scientific research. He is energized by the prospects as he takes his natural love of computers and coding developed from his early days in his native Philippines. 

“My first computer was sent to me by my Dad from the United Arab Emirates, and even though it wasn’t the best model, I was so fascinated to be able to manipulate those computers. And I thought machines are limitless; you can do so many things with them.”

While Rodriguez is busy connecting with the lead programmer on his project, he is also dedicated to a host of other activities. In school, he maintains an impressive academic average in the high 90s. He volunteers in the community, leads group projects and school, and proves an invaluable support to his peers in their studies, particularly when it comes to math. He pursues interests in visual art in school, and of course, he studies computer science through the Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools’ CyberSchool. 

It remains to be seen as to how Rodriguez will proceed with his studies come the fall. The University of Calgary is still assessing its instruction method for some of its classes. While some may be online or hybrid delivered due to ongoing COVID concerns, he still plans to make Calgary his home in the fall.“Whether or not it’s online or in person, I think I’m still going to Calgary to engage with the community and do some extracurriculars.” 

Gabriel Rodriguez is the second HCI student to have received the award in recent years. Coincidentally, Rylan Marianchuk also embarked for the University of Calgary and its computer science programming after winning a Schulich Scholarship. HCI may be witnessing the start of a trend where its talented students are rewarded in their pursuit of academic and personal excellence through the Schulich Leaders Award Program.