'We're all going to go far:' Sterling Scholar hopefuls interview for next round

'We're all going to go far:' Sterling Scholar hopefuls interview for next round

(Scott G Winterton/Deseret News)


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WEST JORDAN — Callie-Jo Stanford's passion for business started out as a happy accident when she was invited to a get-together with members of DECA, a student marketing association.

"It was actually an ice cream social," she said with a laugh. "I went for the food."

Beginning in that first gathering, Stanford was hooked on the student organization and the promise of a career in business.

"They were really nice kids and were really persuasive," she said.

Within a short time, Stanford rose through the ranks and was elected state president of DECA. On Tuesday, the Herriman High School senior went head to head with other business prodigies, putting her passion for her chosen field on display and competing in the prestigious Deseret News/KSL Sterling Scholar Awards Program.

In all, 630 Wasatch Region students across 14 academic categories gave interviews or performed in front of three-judge panels, hoping to learn Wednesday that they advanced to the final round of consideration.

Stanford, who plans to combine a medical degree with her business background to pursue a career in humanitarian work, tried Tuesday to keep perspective on the competition.

"Even if you don't win, the kids (the Sterling Scholars organizers) have chosen are great kids," she said. "It doesn't matter who wins; we're all going to go far."

The annual Sterling Scholar program, first instituted in 1962, aims to recognize students who demonstrate superior scholarship, leadership and citizenship. The current round of interviews in the competitive Wasatch Region were held Thursday at Copper Hills High School in West Jordan, West Lake High School in Saratoga Springs and Ben Lomond High School in Ogden.

Following a final round of interviews later this month for students who advance, statewide Sterling Scholar awards will be given out March 10 in a ceremony at the LDS Conference Center.

Hillcrest High School senior Katie Ann Powell said she felt some trepidation while she prepared to play her harp in front of three judges, but her thorough familiarity with the instrument helped calm her nerves.

"My harp's name is Henry," she said a laugh. "When I'm with Henry, I trust in Henry."

Powell has a special connection with her harp for a reason: She's been playing the instrument since she was 6-years-old and couldn't even hold it up by herself.

"I walked into a music store and, I don't know, I guess it called to me," she said.

Derek Romney, senior class president at Skyline High School, said it wasn't until after his cello performance that he found out one of the judges is also a cellist.

Romney, who has played the cello for about 12 years, was grateful he was prepared for the performance in front of someone else so intimately familiar with the instrument.

"Music has a unique ability to affect people's lives," he said. "I've really come to appreciate its ability to do that."

'We're all going to go far:' Sterling Scholar hopefuls interview for next round

Gary Fuller is a senior at Brighton High School and woodshop student competing in the technical education category. He played cards with a couple of his friends to keep him loose while he waited for his turn at an interview.

"I'd kind of love it if they had me build something (for the interview)," Fuller quipped.

Fuller has been putting household objects together and taking them apart for a long time. He has taken every building-related class available since seventh grade, he said. Fuller is competing against students whose emphasis is in welding and metal shop.

"I just love being able to see what I made and feel it," he said.

Alexa Ballard, a Riverton High School senior who wants to study acting and directing in college, performed two monologues Thursday for her entry in the speech and theater arts category. The judges were inviting and kind throughout the process, she said, "which I appreciate a lot."

"I did my best, so I'll see what happens I guess," Ballard said. "It's really just taught me more about myself than anything."

The portfolio Stanford submitted Tuesday listed her achievements, which include compiling 30 pages of research for a business and getting involved at an international DECA convention. After all that work to present herself, she said, it felt good to have a conversation with her judge panel about other parts of her life.

"They had really looked over it," Stanford said of her portfolio. "They'd already seen my ACT (score) and GPA and just wanted to know more about who I am and where I come from."

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