'Don't give up on your dreams': Hockey player from Rankin Inlet signs with U.S. university team

When it comes to determination and drive, Charlotte Siksik has it in spades.

The 17-year-old forward from Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, and her family are still celebrating the recent news that she's been signed to play women's hockey this fall for the NCAA Division III Arcadia Knights in Philadelphia, Pa.

"I was really excited. It took a lot of work to get there, to a school that had basically everything I ever wanted, and it felt amazing," she said.

Charlotte was with a group of her friends when she found out she would be playing for the Knights. The first thing she did is message her mom, Hannah Siksik.

"We had a very excited phone call about that, and my friends are very happy for me," she said.

Siksik has travelled across Canada to develop her hockey skills. She played the past three seasons with the female U18 Prep team at the RINK Hockey Academy in Winnipeg, where she tallied six goals and nine assists in 48 games.

Once in Philadelphia, she'll be hitting the ice five days a  week, with games every weekend on top of her studies. While there, she'll be majoring in biology with the hope of one day becoming a wildlife veterinarian.

Few places in Nunavut could have set a better foundation for her hockey success than Rankin Inlet, said Hannah

Known as a hockey town, and having produced the likes of former NHL player Jordin Tootoo, Rankin Inlet had a lot of support available for young athletes. Charlotte, who started playing hockey when she was in Grade 2, was soon asked to play with the female hockey team and got to travel with them.

"Our life kind of revolved around the arena for a while there, while she was home," Hannah said. Both she and Charlotte gave a shout-out to David Clark, Charlotte's coach in Rankin Inlet.

"She had