John Curran
Northern News Services

Colville Lake (June 06/05) - There were times Sheena Kochon thought she'd never finish high school, but those days are all in the past.

She became the first high school graduate from Colville Lake school in a celebration last week that included out-of-town dignitaries as well as drum and fiddle dancing.

Sheena Kochon, 22, became the first student to earn a high school diploma from Colville Lake school last week.

"It feels really good," said Kochon. "All my family is proud of me especially my mom who kept telling me not to give up."

The 22-year-old started her trek towards a diploma at age 17 after taking a year off from school.

It's been a bit of an on-again-off-again trip that included giving birth to her two daughters: three-year-old Crystal and one-year-old Jaylene.

Kochon said she never would have made it without the help of principal Jo-Ellen Lyslo.

"She worked with me in the evening and on weekends if I needed help," she said.

Kochon's achievement is an important day for the community, Lyslo said.

"We've had students go off to Norman Wells for high school and it's hard for them leaving home," she said, adding their success has been limited as a result.

Having a Dene role model, who studied in front of the 35 other students attending the community's one-room school, has shown everyone what they can accomplish if they set their minds to it.

No stopping her now

Kochon has no plan to rest on her education laurels. She has applied to the access nursing program at Aurora College's Fort Smith campus.

From there she hopes to advance to the three-year nursing program in Yellowknife.

"We don't have a nurse in Colville," she said. "They just fly in from Good Hope every so often."

Once she completes the program, Kochon doesn't see any reason she couldn't give her friends and neighbours a permanent health care solution located right in the community.