London teen among Canada's highest achieving high schoolers
The 19-year-old was awarded the Schulich Leader Scholarship
A 19-year-old Londoner is being crowned one of the country's highest achieving high school students.
Liam Israels, a graduating student at Medway High School, has been awarded the Schulich Leader Scholarship, granting him $100,000 toward his undergraduate studies at Western Engineering.
"It's pretty breathtaking. It's pretty hard to fathom," he said. "It comes as a big aid to help me financially and opens a lot of other opportunities with the potential of co-ops or jobs in the future."
It's the third consecutive year that a student from Medway has been granted the scholarship.
About 50 students across the country have been awarded for their outstanding achievement at participating universities.
Balanced lifestyle
Israels, who achieved a graduating average of 95 per cent, said his involvement in extracurriculars is what helped him stand out.
He completed an internship last year at the National Research Council at Western's Research Park. He also learned from a team of NASA astronauts during his time with the Honeywell Leadership Challenge Academy.
"I naturally push myself to do the best I can do," he said.
Aside from academics, Israels also excels in athletics and indulges in other social activities.
He was drafted by the Peterborough Petes of the OHL about two years ago. He also spent some time playing for the Strathroy Rockets.
Though he's had to slow hockey down for post-secondary school, he said the sport has taught him a lot about time management.
"It was definitely a challenge," he said about maintaining a balanced lifestyle.
He said he enjoys hanging out with friends, biking, camping and working out.
Israels hopes to start his own prosperous business one day or work with a company that "vibes" with him.