Ten McGill undergraduates are among the 26 students from across Canada who form the 2025 cohort of McCall MacBain International Fellows.
The Fellowship, worth up to $30,000, provides the opportunity for recipients to live, study and work abroad for a year, immersing themselves in new cultures, languages and communities. Over the course of the year, Fellows complete three distinct terms: one focused on intensive language learning, another on academic study at a partner university and a third on a work or internship placement. The goal is to foster global citizenship, adaptability and leadership through international engagement.
“It is vital for Canada to invest in opportunities that allow students to immerse themselves and build ties to different parts of the world,” said John McCall MacBain, Chair of the McCall MacBain Foundation. “We believe that programs like these – ones that encourage deeper cultural understanding – will better equip the next generation of young people to lead with empathy and insight.”
This year’s Fellows are spread across the globe, from Egypt to Mexico, Taiwan to Denmark, and many places in between.
Fellows are selected not only for their academic achievements, but also for their leadership potential, community involvement and character. Before departing, the 2025 cohort gathered for a three-day orientation retreat at Camp Notre-Dame-de-Fatima, just outside Montreal, where they built connections and prepared for the year ahead. Throughout their time abroad, they will continue to engage with one another and with the Foundation through regular check-ins and support.
“We hope this Fellowship enables students to cultivate key leadership skills, from developing independence and problem-solving skills to finding joy and building flexibility,” said Natasha Sawh, CEO of McCall MacBain Scholarships. “We believe long-term, immersive experiences abroad can be transformative.”
Applications for 2026 McCall MacBain International Fellowships are now open. To learn more, visit mccallmacbain.org.
The McCall MacBain International Fellows from McGill are:
Elena Manina
Cognitive Science
Fellowship year: Danish in Denmark
Manina worked as a tutor for adolescents with learning disorders, helping plan and implement appropriate interventions. As a high school student, she helped grow a wellness club at the University of Calgary, promoting mental well-being among university students. She brings these experiences and her academic expertise in cognitive science to her Fellowship in Denmark to explore the Scandinavian approach to well-being.
Ella Paul-Chowdhury
Art History
Fellowship year: Mandarin in China
Paul-Chowdhury served as Vice-President of Finance for McGill’s Art History and Communication Studies Student Association, where she managed budgets, supported journal publications and helped lead events. She also developed and hosts a two-hour weekly art and culture program for her campus-community radio station. As an art writer and interviewer for the Cheng Huai Art and Culture Association, she explored creative expression across cultures.
Eman Elawad
World Islamic Studies & African Studies
Fellowship year: Arabic in Egypt
Elawad founded and served as President of the Black Student Association at her high school in Ottawa to address the lack of representation. At McGill, she served as Vice-President of Events for Refugee Advocacy with World University Services of Canada, supporting refugee scholars, raising awareness about global displacement and promoting solidarity. She believes in storytelling’s power to unite people and performs her own creative writing and storytelling in Montreal and Ottawa.
Jasmine Scanlan
Environmental Biology
Fellowship year: Norwegian in Norway
Scanlan volunteered as an English tutor at her college and organized activities to provide companionship at a local seniors residence. A creative writer, she had two original short fiction pieces published through an arts and literature competition. Her passion for animal care led her to intern as a wildlife caretaker at a rescue centre, where she helped rehabilitate injured and orphaned wildlife. With a strong interest in wildlife conservation, she looks forward to learning about Arctic ecosystems and conservation practices during her Fellowship in Norway.
Kadia St-Pierre
History & Anthropology
Fellowship year: Spanish in Bolivia
St-Pierre was a dedicated synchronized swimmer from the age of six, later serving as a coach and role model for younger athletes. At McGill, she served as Vice-President of Communications and Internal Affairs for the Fine Arts Commission, helping organize student art shows. She has worked as a researcher at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, with the Conseil de la Nation Atikamekw and as a lifeguard. Driven by her interest in Indigenous cultures in Latin America, St-Pierre is excited to deepen her understanding of the region through her Fellowship in Bolivia.
Kellia Abisola Usanase
International Development, Psychology & African Studies
Fellowship year: Spanish in Spain
Usanase served as the President of the African Studies Student Association (ASSA), advocating for inclusive education and Afrocentric interdisciplinary studies. She currently works as the Community Outreach Assistant with Le SocialRoom, an organization providing psychosocial support to young athletes in Quebec. Usanase is also an Undergraduate Research Assistant in the Cultural Developmental Science Lab (CDS), which explores the factors that support healthy development and resilience among minority youth and families facing discrimination.
Luca Ioan Bratianu
Bioresource Engineering
Fellowship year: Arabic in Morocco
Bratianu worked as a Coastal Steward with Parks Canada, promoting ocean safety and community-building among surfers. He volunteers with Québec Secours, training in search and rescue. Passionate about the outdoors, Bratianu organized McGill’s first surf expedition through the Outdoors Club and completed his Level 1 Surf Instructor certification in Tofino. During his Fellowship, Luca looks forward to immersing himself in daily life abroad, learning Darija Arabic and continuing to connect his love of nature, culture and community service.
Masha Rudak
Cognitive Science, Latin American & Caribbean Studies
Fellowship year: Spanish in Mexico
Rudak was the Vice-President External for the McGill First Year Arts and Science Committee and a competitive hip-hop dancer. In CEGEP, she was Vice-President of Finance for the Student Union of John Abbott College. Masha was also the Head Delegate for the John Abbott College Model United Nations and worked as a medical first responder volunteer with St. John Ambulance. Through discovering her interest in Latin American music, she developed an interest in the culture, history and language of the genre.
Nika Rovensky
Political Science & Russian Studies
Fellowship year: Turkish in Turkey
Rovensky was a 2024-2025 facilitator at the ECOLE house, a model of urban sustainable living and a physical hub for the McGill and Montreal sustainability communities. She was also a Fulbright Youth Ambassador, where she received a grant to support youth refugees and immigrants in her high school. This past year, she was selected to serve on the President’s Advisory Council for Engagement (PACE), created to address political polarization on campus by training students in conflict mediation
Zola Ball
Computer Science & Linguistics
Fellowship year: Mandarin in Taiwan
Ball is an independent visual artist and musician, performing liquid light shows and original music across Montreal and Toronto. She is assisting with the modernization of pro-feminist group Men for Change’s Healthy Relationships Curriculum as a youth editor. She has worked on creative activities with campers at Camp Artism, a camp for youth on the autism spectrum. As a language learner and a linguist, Zola hopes to deepen her understanding of Mandarin and explore Taiwanese culture through her Fellowship year in Taiwan.
About the McCall MacBain Foundation
The McCall MacBain Foundation’s mission is to improve the welfare of humanity by providing scholarships and other educational opportunities that nurture transformational leadership, and by investing in evidence-based strategies to address climate change, preserve our natural environment, and improve health outcomes.
The Foundation believes in the power of education, and scholarships in particular, to transform lives and in turn transform our communities to be fairer, healthier and more prosperous for all; that climate change is the single most pressing problem facing our planet and that we must all do our part to address it; and in the importance of an evidence-based approach to youth mental-health and well-being.
The Foundation has made significant investments in the leadership potential of young people, most notably through the McCall MacBain Scholarships at McGill, the Rhodes Scholarships, the Loran Awards, and scholarships at several universities in Canada including McMaster University and Dalhousie University, as well as the Mandela Rhodes Scholarships based in South Africa and the Kupe Leadership Scholarships in New Zealand.
Contact: Fatema Diwan, Communications Manager, McCall MacBain Foundation E: fatema@mccallmacbain.org T: +1 (416) 306-8600 x9330