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Future even brighter for Stettler high school student

A Grade 10 student from Stettler has been awarded a $5,000 scholarship.

A Grade 10 student from Stettler has been awarded a $5,000 scholarship.

Keirsten Docherty, a proud member of the Heartland Youth Centre and the Stettler Boys and Girls Club, was awarded Future Shop’s future-generation scholarship Oct. 3 at the Red Deer Future Shop.

In partnership with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada (BGCC), Future Shop presented 23 awards this year to Grade 10 students across Canada.

Docherty was one of three Grade 10 students in Alberta to receive the scholarship.

“I’m very thankful for the scholarship,” Docherty said after receiving her award. “It will help reach my dream of becoming an anthropologist, because it takes 11 years of schooling to become an anthropologist.”

The program encourages young people to see post-secondary education as a realistic option for life after high school.

Docherty was presented the first portion of the incremental scholarship on Saturday. A $750 Future Shop gift certificate goes toward a laptop to help with her high school studies.

Docherty will receive $250 in Grade 12 to pay for any post-secondary application fees. The remaining $4,000 will be paid directly to the post-secondary institution she will attend.

“I can’t begin to explain how much this will help toward my future schooling,” said Docherty. “Receiving this award reminds me of what I can do and pushes me to try even harder.”

Docherty has been actively involved in Stettler’s boys and girls club summer camps from a young age. As she grew older, she continued to participate at the club by joining in on teen trips and volunteering at club fundraisers. Most recently, she has been an active member of the Keystone program — a leadership program that has helped her not only become more responsible and increases her self-confidence, but also has helped strengthen her views on the importance of giving back.

“Keirsten is a deserving recipient of the scholarship,” said Sara Wengryn, Stettler’s Boys and Girls Club program director. “In addition to being an honours student, she is very involved in her community as a volunteer. Keirsten role-models leadership skills, goal-setting and hard work to her peers as a member of the Keystone Club, and the youth look up to her as a mentor.”

The Boys and Girls Club of Stettler offers a safe, supportive place where children and youth can experience new opportunities, overcome barriers, build positive relationships and develop confidence and skills for life, the club reported.

“The Future Shop future generation scholarships encourage the boys and girls club of Stettler youth to dream big and explore a range of post-secondary options,” said Wengryn. “It really opens a lot of doors for young people in Stettler.”