A junior hockey player from Ridgetown is one of eight Ontario Hockey Association members getting a boost toward their post-secondary education from the Dairy Farmers of Ontario.
Mackenzie Anderson will use the $6,000 bursary to help pay for his schooling at Fanshawe College, where he is pursuing construction and engineering.
Anderson said his passion for hockey started when he was about four years old playing with the Tim Hortons Timbits League.
He then went on to play for the Ridgetown Rebels for a couple of years before joining the South Kent Lightning until his second year of U-18, at which point he made the jump from Rep A to playing for the Dresden Jr. Kings.
Anderson said making that move was a real team effort.
"I wouldn't be here without my community, that helped me get here," said Anderson in an OHA video. "Making the jump from Rep A to Junior C is a big jump, but the community helped me along the way."
The bursary Anderson will receive is funded by MilkUP, the DFO's youth lifestyle brand, which "recognizes young athletes who show leadership in building strong and healthy communities, demonstrate high academic achievement, are dedicated to and have a passion for hockey," according to a release from the OHA.
Anderson said he is going into his second year at Fanshawe College with a 4.0 GPA after his first year.
"Academic success is very important to me -- it shows hard work, determination, and it opens up a lot of future doors," said Anderson. "Balancing life while playing hockey and going to school is very hard, but mostly it's just about time management while prioritizing your commitments and learning to say 'no' to some things."
Anderson also noted that he volunteers at 4H, parades, and anything the team can do to give back to the community.
His goal is to be a commercial construction estimator or run his own general contracting business when he graduates from college.
**With files from Matt Weverink**