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SALT LAKE CITY — For some, mathematics is just a long line of numbers — perhaps indecipherable numbers — black and white, innocuous, on a page or calculator.
But Anthony Cheng sees math as more than that. He takes those numbers, gives them life, color, and uses them to solve real-world problems.
On Thursday, Cheng joined the ranks of some of Utah's brightest future problem solvers as he was recognized for his accomplishments in the 55th annual Sterling Scholar Awards Program.
Cheng's first action after being named the 2016 Deseret News/KSL Sterling Scholar in mathematics was to turn to each of the runners-up, shake their hands and congratulate them.
"A lot of these people I've met before through various competitions, and to see them again and meet more new people is fantastic," he said following the awards ceremony at the LDS Conference Center's Little Theater.
Capping the evening was Cheng's selection as General Sterling Scholar — the highest honor of the Sterling Scholar Awards Program — for the Hillcrest High School senior's outstanding and diverse achievements.
"I'm very, very humbled to have this opportunity to receive this scholarship, to further my education, and to represent all the students in Utah who have worked so hard for their academic success," he said.
Cheng has an impressive list of accomplishments leading up to Thursday's program, as do this year's Sterling Scholar winners in each of the 14 categories. Cheng has been especially involved in solving global climate problems.
He spent a summer at MIT, studying climate change with data gathered from glaciers in Antarctica. He also modeled melt ponds on arctic sea ice with Dr. Kenneth Golden at the University of Utah.
Cheng said that experiencing the inversion in Salt Lake City has drawn his attention to the important environmental issues society faces.
"It was so bad over this winter … and just seeing those things inspires me to consider how we as humans really affect the environment and how we should do more to assess our impact," Cheng said. "My belief is that we should create some sort of solution. That's why I'm going into engineering: to solve this problem."
But math has done more than just fuel Cheng's passion for addressing environmental issues. Math has changed the way that Cheng thinks, and it affects every aspect of his life from volunteering as a tutor for middle school kids, to piano recitals at Carnegie Hall.
Cheng's future is as bright as his ideas. He's already been accepted to MIT and has received a "Likely Letter" from Yale.
As KSL's Deanie Wimmer and Kevin Eubank hosted the Sterling Scholar Awards event, they reminded spectators of the program's roots.
The Deseret News has acknowledged high school athletics for a long time, but in 1962, columnist Steve Hale noticed that academic excellence was not being recognized in any manner. Hale worked together with education reporter Lavor Chaffin and marketing director Keith West to create the Sterling Scholar Awards Program — a Utah tradition in honoring scholastic excellence ever since.
The awards also seek to recognize those who go above and beyond the call of scholarship with achievements in leadership and citizenship.
The Douglas F. Bates Community Service Award was presented to Allison Baxter, who has devoted hundreds of hours to her community, despite major health challenges she's faced.
Last year, Baxter was diagnosed with dysautonomia, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome and mast cell activation disorder — all sources of debilitating symptoms.
But Baxter hasn't let that stop her.
She's orchestrated local service projects, traveled to Nepal to teach women how to sew clothing and make sanitary items. Last year she started the Backyard Broadcast Club at her high school to raise awareness and take action against sex trafficking.
"As I've served others, I've really found who I am and who I want to be," Baxter said. "I think service is what we're really here on earth to do."
This year, the Philo T. Farnsworth Governor's Award was presented to Rachel Laub, a senior from Davis High School who exemplifies how leadership can make a real difference.
Along with two of her peers, Laub co-chairs the Students Against Electronic Vaping coalition, an effort to combat the growing trend of e-cigarettes, especially among high school students.
SAEV has even taken political action, working with lobbyists and supporting a bill by Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clearfield, to tax e-cigarettes like normal tobacco products.
The bill, HB333, was put on hold for study over the summer, but Laub and her colleagues have set a sterling example, for high-school students and adults alike on how to make a difference in their communities.
