Indigo Strickert is the 2025-26 Governor General's Bronze Medal recipient for Sask DLC!

Each year, this medal is awarded to graduating students across Canada who exhibit academic excellence by earning the highest academic average at their respective schools.

"Receiving the Governor General’s Bronze Medal for achieving the top marks at Sask DLC is a really special honour for me. Looking back, I think it reflects not just the work I put into school, but also the flexibility and opportunities that Sask DLC supports, which allowed me to pursue my goals in a different way.

I’ve always been motivated to get ahead in school, so in Grades 8 and 9, I took a few extra Sask DLC courses here and there and in summer school. I knew I had a bigger goal in mind: I wanted to finish high school early so I could take a gap year to focus on high-performance fencing.

In Grade 10, my family went on sabbatical in Europe for a year. Since both my parents are professors, we had the opportunity to travel to ten different countries together while they met with research partners. My sibling and I had to switch to Sask DLC full-time to keep up with our schooling while we were overseas. That year, I completed 15 courses while travelling between the UK, Germany, Denmark, Småland in Sweden and even along the Mediterranean Coast. The freedom to learn at my pace put me on track to graduate early and gave me the opportunity to spend this year pursuing fencing at a higher level in Calgary (even reaching the top thirty nationally in my category).

One of the things I really appreciated about Sask DLC was the encouragement and flexibility of my teachers. They empowered me to learn beyond the online classroom and make the most of being in Europe. Visiting Museums nad Aquariums, exploring historic sites and experiencing different cultures became part of my education, alongside completing my coursework.

Balancing schooling, travel and practicing fencing in different languages took a lot of discipline, but it taught me how to manage my time, work independently and stay focused. Sask DLC gave me the flexibility to build a foundation around my goals rather than put them on hold. 

I’m grateful to my teachers and to Sask DLC for supporting me along the way. Receiving this medal is a wonderful recognition of that journey, and I’m excited to keep working toward my goals in fencing and further my education."

- Indigo Strickert, Sask DLC student and recipient of the 2025-26 Governor General's Bronze Medal