Meet the 2024 Cannon Lachapelle Award winners

The spirit of ingenuity and entrepreneurial thinking is strong in students at the University of Calgary, and the recipients of the 2024 Cannon Lachapelle Award embody the best of this spirit.

This year's prestigious award, presented by the Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking, goes to: James Gu, Lujaina Eldelebshany, Declan Sander and Bill Zheng.

First established in 2019 with a generous donation from former UCalgary president Dr. M. Elizabeth Cannon, BSc (Eng)'84, MSc'87, PhD'91, and Dr. Gérard Lachapelle, PhD, professor emeritus of engineering, the $10,000 award recognizes undergraduate students who embody ingenuity and entrepreneurial thinking in their work and study.

All four recipients — who have worked with the Hunter Hub in the past — have been honoured for exemplifying the spirit that drove the creation of the award.

James Gu, Haskayne School of Business 

James Gu, a fourth-year student at the Haskayne School of Business, initially didn’t see himself as an entrepreneur.

After participating in various programs and competitions (such as UCalgary’s Enactus branch and Embedded Certificate in Entrepreneurial Thinking), Gu discovered an affinity for entrepreneurship as he worked to bring his ideas to life.

“I’m so grateful to be one of this year’s Cannon Lachapelle Award recipients. To me, the Cannon Lachapelle Award represents the culmination of all my failures and successes,” he says.

His second time applying for the award, Gu notes the importance of persistence and resiliency. “I think entrepreneurial thinking can be seen as a very nebulous concept," he says. "For me, it’s about reframing problems as opportunities and being willing to try things again and again, regardless of setbacks.”

Currently on exchange in Australia with the Global Indigenous Skills program, Gu continues to sharpen his entrepreneurial skills.

Lujaina Eldelebshany, Schulich School of Engineering

“I’m so honoured and thrilled to be one of the recipients of the Cannon Lachapelle Award,” says Lujaina Eldelebshany.

A fourth-year software and biomedical engineering student, Eldelebshany embarked on her entrepreneurial journey during the 2023 Global Hult Challenge. Her startup, Fabric Fusion, was one of three Canadian teams who participated.

The theme of the challenge was “Redesigning Fashion.” In line with the theme, Fabric Fusion uses a unique glycolysis process to break down donated textile waste, reshaping the polymers into 3D-printer filament that is later sold to governments or private companies.

Prior to the competition, Eldelebshany and her teammates, Ella Johnson and Evan Bosdet, worked with Jeff Ryzner, senior manager of programs and events at the Hunter Hub, to refine their value proposition, readying them for the competition.

For Eldelebshany, entrepreneurial thinking is about collaboration. 

“Entrepreneurial thinking means working with people like you and unlike you to achieve something new," she says. "Collaborating with people who come from a different background allows you to see things you may not immediately see due to your own unique perspectives and world views.”  

Currently, Eldelebshany is part of Scholars Academy. Meanwhile, she and her team continue to grow Fabric Fusion.

“Winning the award represents the support around me and makes me feel empowered to go after my dreams,” Eldelebshany says.

Declan Sander, Haskayne School of Business

When he first arrived at UCalgary, Declan Sander was inspired by the entrepreneurial ecosystem that surrounded him.

A fourth-year finance major at the Haskayne School, Sander is the founder and COO of BirchBark Health, an Indigenous-specific virtual health-care venture that strives to help indigenous people gain greater access to health care, particularly in remote locations.

Through the Hunter Hub’s Launchpad program, Sander created and refined his business plan with dedicated mentorship and coursework, with additional help from the Hunter Hub Startup Fund. BirchBark Health has steadily grown; the venture placed second at RBC Fast Pitch and was a featured startup in the DDQIC Build to Scale Incubator Program at Queen's University. Sander has also secured $40,000 in non-dilutive funding as BirchBark Heath continues to scale.

“The Cannon Lachapelle Award will really contribute to my journey as an entrepreneur in the sense that it shows that there's a real belief from the University of Calgary in my future as an entrepreneur, but also in the work that I've done in the community,” he says.

“Giving back is central in entrepreneurship. It’s not just me receiving this award; it’s the entire BirchBark team and all the communities we are going to serve.”

Bill Zheng, Nursing

Bill Zheng is a third-year Faculty of Nursing student with two unique entrepreneurial ventures.

Zheng is the founder of Calgary Pop-Up Care Village, a festival for anyone experiencing systemic vulnerabilities. The festival brings social services, health-care agencies, arts and entertainment groups together in a “one-stop shop” for people to easily access resources in one place. 

Additionally, Zheng is a co-founder (alongside Kristen Campbell, MA'14, BComm'19) of RadiCare Ventures, a for-profit social enterprise that addresses the negative perception of social disorder through specialized cleaning and trauma-informed security alternative solutions.

Zheng credits the Hunter Hub, specifically his involvement in Map the System, for allowing him to grow through collaboration. In connecting with other faculties to explore unique issues, Zheng was able to step outside the box and experience different perspectives.

“The award affirms that the University of Calgary is providing a space for people who are entrepreneurial, no matter which faculty they're in,” he says. “Even though I’m in the Nursing faculty, I'm still able to participate in entrepreneurship and innovation.”

Zheng looks forward to further developing his ventures with the support of the award.