Alumni Spotlight : 2025 Global Winners Interviews
In conversation with Cameron Schmidt, Brigette Teo and Jadyn Faith Zajac.
May 1, 2026
We connected with three of our 2025 Global Winners to learn more about their experience with the Global Undergraduate Awards.
We spoke up, opening ourselves up for emotional projects and the importance of events like the Global Undergraduate Awards.
In conversation with interviewer and videographer, Greg Purcell.
Cameron Schmidt
Cameron is the 2025 Global Winner for the category of business and economics from Toronto Metropolitan University.
Read his award-winning paper on “Optimal Economic Intervention: A Bayesian Global Games Approach to Policy Design” in our library.
How does it feel to be recognised as a global winner?
It feels awesome. Honestly. Very unexpected. I got the call from Dublin, and I initially didn’t answer because I thought it was a scam call. Then I saw the voicemail, and I was like, no way. This is awesome. Definitely a great surprise. And my birthday is actually on Tuesday. So this aligned with a birthday trip as well, which is awesome.
What made you apply?
I didn’t think too much of it because I had emails from my undergrad school just saying, “This is an opportunity”, but I didn’t personally know anybody who had submitted before. But it’s such an easy process. It’s really just anonymising your work. So it took maybe like 20 minutes. It was my undergrad thesis, so it was a pretty long paper and I took out just a few references.
I just did it and forgot about it. Really. I think I did it right when it opened the submissions. So it’s been about a whole year since I applied.
Why do you think events like this are important?
I definitely think it’s important. I think it being interdisciplinary is really cool because, at least for me, I’m doing a master’s now, so I’m very niche in such a specific topic. All the people I talk to are studying that same topic. It’s really cool to meet people who are researching things that I never would have thought about or things that are interesting to me, but I’ve just never got that deep into. Then they’re also niche down in a specific topic. It was cool on my end to distil some more theoretical ideas into something understandable, hopefully for an interdisciplinary audience. I’m looking forward to people explaining in terms that I can understand.
Yeah, definitely. Yeah, that’s a really interesting point. To be able to get a glimpse into everyone else’s kind of academic obsession.
It’s really cool. Hearing people light up talking about it is really cool because like, “what’s your topic”? And I’m like, “Oh, it’s kind of like this”. Then you ask them a bit more, they’ve been working on this for months and they can finally tell someone. It’s cool to hear for sure.
That’s amazing. What type of conversations have you been having?
I think it was a bit of meeting people like, “where are you from”? So many people from Singapore, which is cool too. That’s another thing. Canada is fairly diverse at least in Toronto, but a lot of people were born in Canada. Hearing from people who are currently living elsewhere, like in the UK and Singapore, it’s really interesting. Just hearing their perspectives on what it’s like living there and going to school there. It’s like a combination of kind of more personal, like, what are you doing now versus like what was your research about it? It’s a cool mix, I would say.
Did you come up with any preconceptions, expectations or Desires? What would you like out of the summit?
In terms of expectations, it’s still early for me to say whether these expectations will be met. I thought it would be a lot more intense especially because I’ve been to a math conference before. Whereas I think in an interdisciplinary conference it’s a bit more relaxed and it’s more conversation with people. So that’s been a pleasant surprise. Like I thought I’d have to be more like “let me check my notes to get back to you”. It’s a much more just kind of an overview, I guess, of your topic and other people’s. I’m just looking forward to talking to more people. I would say. I got in at 7 am yesterday. I was going off 36 hours of no sleep. So I was a bit of a zombie. Now I’m ready to hear more presentations.
What would you say to someone who was thinking about applying to The Global Undergraduate Awards?
I would definitely say just do it. It’s such a little effort for such a high potential reward.I think you have nothing to lose by just submitting your work. I didn’t fully know the extent to which you would be recognsed through this. A trip to Dublin alone is like, fantastic.Getting to go to a whole new country is amazing. Much less like all the opportunities here of conversing with other people, meeting other people. I definitely just say to do it, there’s no application fee. There’s about 20 minutes of work on my end. So I would definitely encourage people to do it for sure.
Brigette Teo
Brigette, along with her partner Nicky are the current 2025 Global Winner for the category Visual Arts from Nanyang Technological University.
See their award-winning project on “Lament for the Anthropocene” in our library.
How does it feel to be a global winner?
It was really cool. I think when we first received the news, we were really shell-shocked because we also didn’t know of other people who had won. It was that feeling of like, whoa, we got it. I’m just really happy. It feels crazy to be here.
What does your work mean to you?
I think for us specifically, the work was really personal. It took so many hours of labour, so many hours of work. Now that it’s all over, it’s like, wow. The work means a lot. It’s our personal stories and a combination of our four years that have resulted in the personal feelings. It means everything to me. It’s really personal.
What does it feel like to share something so personal with everyone?
At first, it was really scary. But then again, we’ve been pitching it for six months. We’ve had more than ten, I would say, presentations pitching our project again and again. Part of the process was doing interviews with people. So there is an element where other people’s stories are embedded and we’re trying to bring those stories to life as well.
That has helped make it a little bit less scary. I feel less like I’m exposing my vulnerable self. Now that it’s over, it’s also easier to kind of see it in retrospect and easier to share. At first, it was definitely hard. We cried during a presentation when the professor was like, “I don’t know if I if I vibe with this topic, you guys”.
Jadyn Faith Zajac
Jaydn is the 2025 Global Winner for the category Classical Studies & Archaeology from Western University.
Read her award-winning paper on “God is a Woman: Women in Positions of High Religious Authority in the Early Church” in our library.
What does it feel like to be recognised as a global winner?
It’s absolutely surreal. I wasn’t expecting this at all, so I’m still kind of in shock. Everything feels like a dream.
How has it been so far?
Wet and rainy, just like my hometown. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, but I’ve been so cold walking around Dublin.
Yeah, that sounds about right.
I thought I had a good coat, but it’s colder than I expected. The wind really makes a difference.
What’s Ontario like?
Also pretty cold and rainy. There’s a lot of wind where I’m from in London, Ontario, but it feels colder here maybe because of the sea breeze. Still, it’s been nice.
When did you arrive?
I arrived on the fifth, so I’ve had a few days to explore Dublin. I checked out the Viking exhibits and even took a tour with a guide dressed as a Viking he had a wolfdog with him. It was great. Viking history is relatively modern compared to what I study, but it’s still a lot of fun.
It’s day one of the Undergraduate Awards. Did you come with any expectations?
Honestly, no. I never imagined I’d end up here. I applied almost on a whim. I had written a paper over the summer that I planned to submit in the next cycle, but I decided to apply early just to see how the process worked. I didn’t expect any of this. I came in with a blank slate. I’m just excited to hear everyone’s presentations and learn about their research.
What would you say to someone thinking about applying?
Just go for it. You never know what might happen. I didn’t think I’d be here, but I am. If you have a paper you believe in or even if you just want to try, you have nothing to lose.
What has surprised you most about the experience so far?
The number of people and how impressive they all are. At the reception, the room was packed with incredibly smart people. I remember thinking, “What am I doing here?” But at the same time, it’s been amazing to see everyone’s work. It’s really inspiring.
Is that a bit of imposter syndrome?
Definitely. Especially coming from the humanities and seeing people working on things like brain cancer and medicine, it’s incredibly impressive. But everyone here is doing something meaningful.
What’s next for you?
I’ll be attending business school next year and joining my family’s financial planning firm. I’m really excited about that. I haven’t ruled out doing a master’s later on, though. We’ll see where things go.
Has being recognised as a global winner had an impact on you?
It’s been a wonderful way to finish my undergraduate degree. My path hasn’t been linear I’ve faced a lot of challenges and changed my major three times in four years. It’s been a bit chaotic. But this recognition feels like validation. It’s made me realise I’m capable of doing something meaningful. It’s a lovely way to finish feeling confident and proud of what I’ve achieved.
A perfect note to end on.
