Grade 12 LCCVI Petrolia student Madelyn Schalk has been named Canada's Luckiest Student. Submitted photo.Grade 12 LCCVI Petrolia student Madelyn Schalk has been named Canada's Luckiest Student. Submitted photo.
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Alvinston teen wins $50K in prizes as Canada's Luckiest Student

An Alvinston teen with dreams of becoming a teacher or lawyer has won a $50,000 prize bundle from the Canada's Luckiest Student contest.

Madelyn Schalk's name was drawn randomly from tens of thousands of entrants in the nationwide draw by Student Life Network -- an online resource hub for students and recent grads.

The Grade 12 student at Lambton Central Collegiate and Vocational Institute had no idea she won the prize until she returned from taking graduation photos Saturday and found her front lawn decked out with balloons and signs.

"The first thing I saw was the sign that said "Your Life Is About To Change,' and I was very confused, and then we went around our driveway and I saw the sign that said 'Canada's Luckiest Student' and I was like, 'oh, my goodness... there's no way,'" said Schalk.

Grade 12 LCCVI Petrolia student Madelyn Schalk has been named Canada's Luckiest Student. Submitted photo. LCCVI Petrolia student Madelyn Schalk.

Schalk's prize included $20,000 from CIBC, rent and groceries for a year, a trip for two to Europe, thousands of dollars in electronics, concert tickets, a self-care package and a campus sustainability upgrade.

"It means everything because I don't have to worry too much about how I was going to pay this year for university. I'm going to go to Western University for social sciences. I want to become a history teacher, if possible, so I plan on pursuing history in the social sciences, but I might change my mind. I've also considered becoming a lawyer."

Her mother Melanie said even with learning disabilities Madelyn has managed a 95 percent grade point average throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

"She is one of the most dedicated, compassionate, caring and hardworking kids I know," said Melanie Schalk. "I've never known anyone like her with the level of dedication. She's had a lot of setbacks over the years and dealt with a lot of stuff, so this is huge for her."

Melanie said this couldn't have come at a better time.

"She's a professional lifeguard and instructor. So, she hasn't been able to work because of COVID, so she was really having some serious anxiety and stress over how she was going to pay for University at Western and cover costs, because right now, financially we're not well off enough to really help her significantly."

Madelyn copes with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), central auditory processing disorder (CAPD) and severe anxiety.

You can watch the reveal here.

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