Hay River (July 10/06) - A Hay River high school graduate has won a major Canada Millennium Scholarship. Keelen Simpson, who graduated last month from Diamond Jenness Secondary School, is the territorial award winner of a $4,000 annual scholarship. It is renewable for up to three extra years for a possible $16,000.

Two other Northerners won local awards. Kali Brasseur of St. Patrick High School in Yellowknife and Lauren Teiman of Inukshuk High School in Iqaluit each won a one-time scholarship of $4,000.

The awards have three levels - national, provincial/territorial and local. Simpson says she was happy and shocked to win the territorial award, noting it will just about pay for her university tuition.

However, the 19-year-old says it will not affect how hard she studies at university. "I'm going to work just as hard as if I was paying for it myself."

Simpson will study political science at the University of Calgary in the fall. She is considering a career in either law or medicine. The Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation is a private, independent organization created by an act of Parliament in 1998.

The foundation distributes $340 million in bursaries and scholarships each year.