$70K bursary could help Arviat girl reach dream of being a librarian
Shelby Angalik wants to major in English at Brock University
A teenager from Arviat, Nunavut, is one of 20 recipients of this year's TD Scholarships for Community Leadership, valued at $70,000.
Shelby Angalik recently returned from a weekend in Ottawa where she formally received the award, and met the other winners.
"It really helped me grow as a person and helped me realize how small our community but how rich it is also. And I really think people should be able to see past their community and look at the whole country as much as they can."
Angalik plans to use the money to study English literature at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont. After that, she hopes to pursue library and information studies.
"I want to come back and expand my reading program."
Angalik launched her program, which she calls Imaginations Destinations, at her community library.
"Every week I open the library and I invite parents and their kids to come in and I read to them in both English and Inuktitut."
She also volunteers in the library at John Arnalukjuak High School, helping to keep it tidy and organize the books. Earlier this year, she was selected as Nunavut's flag-bearer at the 2016 Arctic Winter Games.
"I really hope that I'll be able to inspire or at least try to be a role model for all of the youth in Nunavut."
With files from Michael Salomonie