A Smithers high school student will be getting four years free at the University of Northern B.C.
The academically high-achieving Alastair McLellan, who will be entering grade 12 at the start of the next school year, won a scholarship that is awarded to the top grade 11 students in the province — each school only gets one recipient — that gives him four years of tuition covered.
This means that UNBC will definitely be his destination but going to Prince George has always been the plan anyway.
“It was [the plan] anyways because its close and it would probably be better to start in a smaller school,” he said.
Upon realizing he had been chosen for the scholarship he was naturally quite pleased.
“It was amazing and I was pretty relieved to,” said McLellan, who has been working towards earning the scholarship since the start of the school year.
McLellan, who described his strengths as being in math, physics and biology, said his long-term goal is to get into the medical program to become a surgeon.
“[Surgery] seems to suit my academic strengths and I have a pretty good eye for detail,” he said.
He didn’t have any particular secret for his academic success. When asked how he keeps up with his school work all he said was he studies when he needs to.
He’ll have to keep up the good work in grade 12. He said that he will need an 85 per cent average to ensure he gets the scholarship. That is, however, nothing to worry about.
“I don’t think that should be hard.”