Teen Builds Rural Stem Access: Ontario student launches Project RISE; initiative widens STEM opportunities

A teenager from Manitoulin Island, Ontario, is working to make science and technology more accessible to children who might otherwise miss out because of where they live or what their families can afford. Amara Wilson-Zegil, a Grade 11 student at Manitoulin Secondary School, has been named one of Canada’s Top 10 Youngest Changemakers of 2026 by Children First Canada for her efforts to expand access to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. According to Children First Canada’s announcement, also reported by ElliotLakeToday, the 17-year-old’s robotics outreach has reached six elementary schools serving more than 1,800 children. She has also helped deliver free and pay-what-you-can robotics camps that have reached more than 1,200 young people. Her work has now led her towards a broader initiative, Project RISE, short for the Rural Initiative for STEM Equity, which aims to address barriers to STEM learning in rural communities.Turning limited opportunities into a larger missionGrowing up in a rural area has given Wilson-Zegil a close view of how a child’s location can influence access to educational opportunities. While robotics and technology programmes can...