Elmira District Secondary School student Tristan Neill was one of 12 local winners of Canada Millennium scholarships. Neill received one of 121 national awards, worth $25,000.

“It was very exciting news,” Neill said.

Along with strong academic performance, Neill is actively involved in student life at EDSS, heading up the school’s debating team and organizing an all-candidates debate at the school prior to the federal election last fall.

Neill is also a member of the school choir, the string orchestra, the cross-country and track teams, and the best buddies club, where he volunteers his time working with students with mental disabilities.

He will be starting first year at the University of Western Ontario this fall in the scholar’s electives program, a flexible program that offers students the opportunity to do research in their first year. Neill also received a $24,000 President’s Scholarship from Western.