Recently graduated Lakes District Secondary School (LDSS) student Ellen Graham, the daughter of locals Bill and Jacqui Graham, has been awarded the President's Scholarship to attend Trinity Western University for the fall 2012 semester.
The prestigious scholarship is awarded annually to the top academic students of the incoming first-year class.
According to Jacqui, Ellen, who is the youngest child of six, has always been a self starter.
"We are very proud of her," Jacqui said.
Ellen said that she was surprised to hear she received the scholarship to attend Trinity Western University.
"I received a call to tell me I was eligible for the scholarship because of my grade point average, so I was pretty excited to hear I was chosen for the scholarship. University is expensive so this is definitely helpful," Ellen said.
Ellen also received a $1,000 scholarship from Lakes District Maintenance and a $1,000 passport to education scholarship from School District 91 as well as an award for her achievements in English and drama.
Her favorite subject is English literature and while completing her studies at LDSS she also participated in soccer, drama class and dance class.
Ellen said she plans to pursue an English degree, possibly to become an English or French Immersion teacher, but that is something she is still deciding.
"I am not sure about my career path yet, but I will be majoring in English at Trinity North Western University," she said.
The Trinity North Western University campus is in Langley and Ellen said she is looking forward to university life and the beginning of the school year, as well as the opportunity to go shopping in the Langley area.
"There is good opportunities for shopping there," she said.
While attending the university, Ellen will be living on campus but she plans to travel back to Burns Lake on a regular basis to visit with family and friends.
"I will get pretty homesick, so I will be coming back to Burns Lake at Christmas and for vacations," she said.
As for possibly teaching in Burns Lake once her degree is completed Ellen said, "I think I will return to Burns Lake one day because it is a good place to raise a family, but I don't think I will come back straight away."
She will be welcomed to campus on Sept. 1, 2012 for Trinity Western University’s orientation week.
The orientation program is designed to welcome new students to the campus learning environment, introduce them to the local area, and connect them with other first-year students who come from around the world to study at the university.
Trinity Western University is Canada’s premier Christian university of the arts, sciences, and professions. Recognized for quality the university is consistently ranked among the top two universities in Canada for educational experience by the national survey of student engagement; holds three Canada research chairs; wins national championships in sports and emphasizes experiential learning to prepare graduates to make a global impact.