(Photo: Blue Earth Photography/Facebook)
An Ojibway teen who spent all of his spare time studying last fall has seen it pay off with perfect grades.
Erickson Owen scored a 100 per cent average in all of his Grade 12 classes at Pelican Falls First Nations High School last semester, according to CBC News.
Owen, 17, is a member of the Poplar Hill First Nation in Thunder Bay, Ont., part of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation.
“I did not go on any trips. I turned them all down because I wanted to study," he told the Sioux Lookout Bulletin. "During the nights I would be reading over my notes at least three times over. I did that every night."
'This young leader is going places'
He told CBC that he wanted to prove to other students "anything is possible."
But that's not all.
Owen also won a national competition sponsored by the Aboriginal Financial Officers Association after crafting an essay explaining how he wants to become an accountant.
Students were asked to write about themselves and their aspirations to pursue a career in finance, and what leaders should focus on to advance indigenous communities.
Owen will be one of four students presenting their essays at the AFOA's conference in Montreal on Tuesday.
"This young leader is going places," wrote Nishnawbe Aski Nation Chief Derek Fox after hearing Owen present an early version of his essay.
The teen plans to present the speech in Ojibway — his first language — according to CBC News.
Owen is slated to attend Confederation College in Thunder Bay next fall.
Also on HuffPost:
