Manitoulin Secondary School student receives national honour

Amara Wilson-Zegil, a Grade 12 student from Manitoulin Secondary School, is among Canada’s Top 10 Under 18 Changemakers. She received The Together We Rise Award for Equitable Education and Opportunities from Children First Canada during a ceremony held in Toronto on October 16, 2026.

“We congratulate Amara Wilson-Zegil on achieving this national award,” said Rainbow District School Board Chair David Farrow. “Being recognized as a Changemaker in Canada speaks highly of Amara’s character, community mindedness, leadership skills, and vision for the future. She is inspiring the next generation of innovators who will fuel our country’s prosperity.”

Bruce Bourget, Chief Executive Officer of the Rainbow District School Board, commended Amara Wilson-Zegil for sharing her passion for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. “Amara is encouraging others in her community and beyond to explore the exciting field of STEM by making it accessible and available,” he said. “When students learn by doing, they gain new interests and build confidence in their abilities.”

For Amara Wilson-Zegil, receiving this award means a growing opportunity to do what she loves. “It is allowing me to build more professional connections so I can continue to advocate and support my community and others,” she said.

She added: “Offering hands-on opportunities for young people to participate in STEM activities opens up career options they may have not considered. So many jobs fall under this umbrella and they are essential for our community and our country.”

Growing up in Gore Bay, Amara has always believed that showing up for others matters. She has been involved in her community from a young age.

Whether participating on a hockey team, coaching youth hockey and soccer, running the backstage of a theatre program, serving in lead roles on the local robotics team, or running electronic workshops for seniors, she is always ready to engage.

As Captain of Manitoulin Secondary School’s award-winning robotics team, Amara supports students as they pursue their passion for innovation and creativity.

She has extended the opportunity beyond her own school through outreach across six elementary schools serving more than 1,800 children, introducing younger students to STEM through robotics demonstrations, technical training, and experiential learning.

Amara helped deliver free and pay-what-you-can robotics summer camps that have reached more than 1,200 youth. She also mentored more than 50 young people through FIRST Lego League robotics programs and camps, and helped introduce children to engineering, design, coding and robotics across Northern Ontario.

Amara is the author of “Robofriends Go to a Robotics Competition”, a children’s book that introduces young readers to robotics, with proceeds supporting start-up STEM programming for rural schools and community groups.

She is now developing Project RISE (Rural Initiative for STEM Equity), an initiative aimed at providing grants, programming and opportunities that help more young people across Northern Ontario participate in STEM.

Whether it’s on the ice, behind the scenes, building a robot, or writing a children’s book, Amara continues to demonstrate that she is dedicated to building a brighter, more inclusive community for all.

Amara has her sights set on a future in the Aerospace industry. One day, she hopes to work on building rockets and satellites for Canadian companies.

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Media Contact:

Nicole Charette, Senior Advisor
Corporate Communications and Strategic Planning
Rainbow District School Board, 705-674-3171 ext. 7217