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Four Yukon youth have been honoured with Outstanding Youth Achievement Awards for their contributions to the community.

According to a Yukon Government press release, the 2022 recipients are Alia Drummond from Haines Junction, Aliya Grant from Carcross, and Gavin Howells and Ava Irving-Staley from Whitehorse.

Each recipient received a $250 cheque from the Youth Directorate, a certificate and medallion of recognition from the Commissioner of Yukon鈥檚 office and are featured on posters throughout the territory.

Irving-Staley, 17, was recognized for her 鈥渙utstanding commitment to athletics and nature, as well as her academic success.鈥� She is an environmentalist who is passionate about nature. Irving Staley has been a volunteer coach in cycling, cross country skiing and biathlon. She represented the Yukon at the 2019 Western Canada Games in cycling and at the Arctic Winter Games in biathlon.

Irving-Staley is also an accomplished artist and an honour role student who is now attending Bishop鈥檚 University in Sherbrooke, Quebec with a Chancellor鈥檚 Excellence Scholarship. She has been awarded female athlete of the year, has attained a grade level achievement in piano, student artist of the year and has won multiple cycling medals.

The Star reached Irving-Staley at Bishop鈥檚 to speak with her about her latest achievement.

鈥淚 was pretty shocked,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he award was for community involvement if I鈥檓 correct, I think and 鈥� I wouldn鈥檛 say I鈥檝e always been super involved with the community. It鈥檚 more been through sports and stuff. But I guess in this case it鈥檚 like sports are the community so it fits in I guess. I was very shocked. For sure.鈥�

鈥淚 feel like in general I鈥檓 a pretty well-rounded individual. I鈥檝e had piano all throughout 鈥� I started when I was seven and then I finished in Grade 12. I鈥檝e always had two or three sports on the go. My art as well 鈥� it really defines me, I love my art. I guess with school as well. I鈥檝e always taken school very seriously 鈥� and also with coaching and some of the other volunteer stuff. It also looks good, because you鈥檙e giving back to the community as well, you鈥檙e not just benefiting from it, which I think that also helps as well.鈥�

Irving-Staley has had two big influences on her sporting pursuits.

鈥淚鈥檇 say definitely my parents. Both of them were coaches. Both of them were athletes at one point and they both have always given back to the community in whatever way that they could. My mother鈥檚 also a teacher as well, so in her teaching, she tries to help out students and overall, they鈥檙e quite giving as well, so. I found it quite easy as they were already 鈥� not part of biathlon but 鈥� my mother鈥檚 very involved with her cycling, so for me, that was an easy way to give back to the community because she was able to give me the courses and the knowledge to become a coach. She also was a role model for me ... in biathlon you start out when you鈥檙e younger, so once you鈥檙e an older athlete, and you鈥檙e coaching the younger athletes, it鈥檚 very impactful, because you鈥檙e like 鈥楾hat was me a couple years ago, and here I am coaching them. Cool.鈥� It feels like full cycle.鈥�

Irving-Staley is taking a double major in Secondary Education in hopes of becoming a high school teacher. She is also an Art major and is currently taking six classes.

鈥淢y days are filled with painting, drawing, I鈥檓 spending a lot of time on my assignments out of class and in class.

鈥淎nd then education, I鈥檓 learning a lot of different things 鈥� you don鈥檛 really learn this stuff in school cause nothing really teaches you in high school how to become a teacher. It鈥檚 pretty interesting.

鈥淚t鈥檚 just been the first couple weeks, so I鈥檓 still getting settled at university. Frosh week was super fun, made a bunch of friends and attended all the events. I鈥檓 starting to get a good feel for the campus, gone exploring a little bit. It鈥檚 super beautiful here, I was absolutely blown away. Those pictures do not do it justice. The building is really historical and very nice.鈥�

Bishop鈥檚 is considered a small school with about 2,900 full-time students. There are only 13 students in Irving-Staley鈥檚 double major program.

As for her future plans, 鈥淭eaching art would be the main thing and then I鈥檒l see as my schooling goes on鈥� related Irving-Staley. 鈥淚 might add in an English degree as well because I鈥檝e always been good at writing. I鈥檝e always liked writing and reading, so that鈥檇 be a useful thing to add. When getting jobs, English and art can go together.鈥�

Irving-Staley is planning on continuing in cycling.

鈥淚鈥檓 looking at joining 鈥� it鈥檚 like a semi-pro team housed in Quebec. It鈥檚 an all-female team and they鈥檙e geared towards helping juniors, which is my age, making the transition from being a junior to a more elite athlete ... one of the managers who runs the team, he鈥檚 also a coach, so he鈥檒l be coaching me.鈥�

She also plans on doing a lot of training on her own in the off-season.

鈥淚 have my two bikes here now in my dorm room. I think that would be the best route for now. I鈥檝e had more success in cycling than I have in biathlon but I hope to continue to cross-country ski for cross-training.鈥�

Irving-Staley competed in the 2022 Niagara Canada Summer Games in road cycling.

鈥淚 haven鈥檛 been involved in mountain biking a lot this season 鈥� last season I had a lot of crashes. There was a couple pretty bad ones that took me out for a long time. I got a couple concussions too, right and I was just like 鈥楴o, I don鈥檛 want to hit my head anymore. It鈥檚 not worth the risk.鈥� I couldn鈥檛 focus in school. I was just like, 鈥楴o, this isn鈥檛 it.鈥�

鈥淧eople always talk about cars and how dangerous they are but I think I鈥檝e had a lot less crashes road biking then I have mountain biking.鈥�

Irving-Staley added 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 really know what to think of this award, but it鈥檚 pretty cool. I have my face all over the Yukon. I鈥檓 like, 鈥極oh, that鈥檚 fun.鈥� They asked for the pictures 鈥� I sent in three pictures and out of the three pictures, they chose the one I did not like 鈥� now, whenever I see that photo, I鈥檓 just like, 鈥極h, OK, I guess it鈥檚 fine. It鈥檚 still pretty nice. It was fun. It鈥檚 pretty good.'

鈥淚t looks good on the resum茅, too, just like, add it to my list of achievements.鈥�