Casey LeBlanc set out for Canadian Idol with hopes of lifting the spirits of the people in her hometown. But somewhere along the way, in the midst of competition and criticism, the 17-year-old discovered she needed some boosting of her own.

As a member of the Top 10, LeBlanc faced television's famous firing squad -- the Idol judges -- and, on a weekly basis, endured unforgiving commentary about her performances.

"There was a certain point that I was really upset and I kind of didn't like where I was anymore," she admits.

But thanks to her family, who flew in from Nackawic, N.B., LeBlanc found the much-needed support to carry her through the rough moments.

"They were really uplifting. I got happy again and then I really wanted to keep going and pursue as much as I could," she says.

Things seemed to finally turn around for the teenager who received glowing reviews from the judges on her fifth week of competition, during which she sang The Pretenders' "I'll Stand by You."

LeBlanc says it's her favourite performance because the song meant a lot to her.

"The lyrics are really emotional and they hit home for me just because I've had many experiences in my life, being even so young, that I've had to say, 'It's okay. I will stick by you no matter what happens.'"

With that hurdle out of the way, LeBlanc continued to impress the judges with another successful performance, singing the mid-tempo Burton Cummings' song, "Timeless Love."

She believes that by adopting a relaxed frame of mind she was finally able to discover a comfortable groove.

"I just felt that in the past two weeks, it's been more like, 'I made it to this point and this is awesome. Do your thing. Don't worry about what anyone else has to say'," she says.

She admits even the judges were plaguing her mind as she psyched up for competition. "Whatever. Who cares? Do it," she would remind herself.

LeBlanc recently graduated from high school, but it seems she's learned an empowering lesson she couldn't have absorbed in any classroom. While she may have no control over the criticism thrown her way, she can always choose how to deal with it.

"You can take it like, 'Oh my god, I really sucked' or you can take it like, 'Well, I guess I can try and do better the next time'," she says.

Judging from her record, it's easy to guess what this hometown heroine has chosen.

Eye on Idol