Ellie grew up in Niagara-on-the-Lake, close to the majestic Niagara Falls, and by the age of eight, found herself drawn to the natural world. “As a child, we always had nature documentaries and science shows on, which inspired my initial love of biology.”
In 2021, she received the MacBain Niagara Falls Scholarship for her many community contributions during her high school years at A. N. Myer Secondary School, where she served on the Arts Council, advanced student wellness during the pandemic through her role on the Lord Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council, raised funds for a local charity, and trained in the arts, playing the clarinet for the school concert band and learning ballet.
“The scholarship gave me the freedom to move away from home for university,” says Ellie, who became the first in her family to go to university. Still curious about nature, she chose to study biology and the environment in a co-op program at the University of Waterloo.
While she was learning a great deal in class, encouraged by the scholarship’s safety net, she began to explore roles where she could combine her love for nature with her passion for making a difference. This led her to the Water Rangers, where she helped run volunteer water-monitoring programs supporting the Great Lakes, and to Niagara Dog Rescue, where she helped find homes for rescued dogs.
“Coming out of high school, I was a little afraid to try new things, but the five years at Waterloo gave me the push to take big leaps and find new opportunities. The financial security that the scholarship provided was instrumental in this,” she adds.
Her most transformational experience was a four-month internship at Hope for Wildlife in Nova Scotia, where she helped rehabilitate over 200 orphaned and injured animals for release.
“Hope for Wildlife has its own TV show that I saw as a kid, and I was like, oh, maybe if I ever got the chance to… It was an unpaid position, and most people don’t get to go live like that for four months, but I could, knowing I had everything covered when I got back.”
Alongside working in the wild, Ellie also became interested in exploring the academic setting of a research lab while at university, which helped her discover an interest in microbiology and won her the President’s Research Award.
“I realized through my classes at Waterloo that I really liked microbiology. I was able to find research positions and run my own projects.”
Perhaps she learnt this by observing the harmony and interconnectedness of the natural world: Ellie deeply believes that when people and ideas connect, we all benefit. She also spent her time at Waterloo building a welcoming space through the UW Concert Club Band, which she led for five years, and in her role as a Science Ambassador, making an impact on young people navigating university.
“I remember how anxious I was as a first-year student who had just moved away from home. That experience led me to become a Science Ambassador: to help others feel less alone and to show students that university is not just about academics but about opportunity, discovery, and finding your community.”
As she heads to McGill University for graduate studies, Ellie hopes to connect often-siloed academic fields, combining microbiology and environment to study climatic impacts on water quality.
“In an academic setting, people get very tunnel-visioned on what they’re doing, and I think in that we lose a lot of the interdisciplinary practices that we need.”
She will be attending McGill as a McCall MacBain Scholar, joining an interdisciplinary cohort of 30 exceptional students from Canada and around the world, who will receive financial support, mentorship, and leadership training during their studies. The scholars are chosen from thousands of applicants through a rigorous process for their character, community engagement, intellectual curiosity, and leadership potential.
Ellie is excited to move to Montreal and looks forward to meeting new people, exchanging ideas, and learning from experts to grow as an academic and leader.
“My move to Montreal as a McCall MacBain Scholar marks the start of an amazing opportunity. I’m at an important part of my life where I can shape the kind of leader I want to be, and the scholarship is focused on helping me explore and navigate that.”