Swimmer Alexandra Gabor's past performances are paying dividends for her future.

The F.H. Collins Secondary School student recently took a full athletic scholarship for Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif., near San Francisco.

The scholarship includes tuition, room and board and books.

"Pretty much everything except healthcare,” the 17-year-old said. "That helped a lot with my decision, to know that I'm not putting myself and my family in a really bad financial situation.”

Gabor, a member of the Whitehorse Glacier Bears Swim Club, went on recruiting trips in October to U.S. and Canadian universities vying for her talents in the pool.

"It was a pretty busy month,” she said.

"It was my second trip. I just loved it. First of all, it was really warm, which was nice compared to here,” she joked.

"I felt like I fit in really well.”

Part of the reason she felt that way, she said, was because of coach Lea Maurer.

"I thought she was someone I could really work with in the future,” Gabor said.

"I think it's going to be a refreshing change, I think I'm going to like it. I can't say for sure now, but just to be in that atmosphere, especially in the NCAA, I've heard it's so intense and you've never experienced anything like it until you go.

"Everyone's cheering whether it's preliminaries or finals, whether you're going for first or last, everyone's into it and everyone really believes in their team.”

Choosing Stanford was tough, she said, but she feels confident and comfortable with her decision.

"The academics played a big part; and then, also the swimming: Stanford placed second last year in the NCAAs, which is really, really good, as you can imagine,” Gabor said.

"I took in the offers, and compared how I felt when I was on campus, where I got the best feeling, and I clicked with the team really well there. Those were all really important to me.”

She said it's too early in the school year to decide what she'll take academically.

She's focusing on graduating high school with high marks, and training.

"I've just got to keep swimming and keep my grades up, keep heading in the right direction,” she said.

"I still haven't really decided what I want to do. I have general ideas, but I haven't narrowed it down to courses.”

Gabor will be heading to Toronto this month to compete in the Canada Cup and will head to Dubai in December to compete in 2010 World Aquatic SC Championships.