Sterling Scholar Awards expand, recognize outstanding students statewide

Jessica Lewis, of DaVinci Academy, wins the vocal category during the Deseret News/KSL Sterling Scholar Awards ceremony at the LDS Conference Center’s Little Theatre in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 15, 2019. | Steve Griffin, Deseret News

Scholarships have seen significant growth since 1960s

SALT LAKE CITY — The Deseret News/KSL Sterling Scholar Awards have grown a lot since their beginnings in the early 1960s.

When the Sterling Scholar program began as a way to recognize outstanding high school academic scholars apart from athletes, it was only held in Salt Lake City with 12 categories, according to the Sterling Scholar website.

Now, the awards are available to students statewide, in five regions and 14 categories. And as of last year, the program has expanded to award the same amount of money to winners from metropolitan and rural areas alike.

“When I came into this position and began to learn about Sterling Scholar and was informed that the Sterling Scholar candidates from these larger districts here were receiving a higher scholarship than the ones out in the rural areas, I began to question why we would want to do that,” said Gary Porter, senior vice president of Deseret Management Corporation.

“Why is a rural student not eligible for the same kind of scholarship as someone from a larger school district here, a metropolitan area?” he said.

Having grown up on a farm in Idaho, Porter understood what life is like for students living in rural areas.

“You have to work all the time. You don’t get an opportunity to participate in sports like some others do who live in town and can run over to the school for football practice or other things,” Porter said. “When you live out on a farm, you find you have chores to do.”

Porter said he didn’t want students from rural areas to feel like “second-class citizens” and thought they should be given the same opportunity students in larger metropolitan areas have.

“It just seemed like if we were going to continue the program, we should make it fair and equitable, so that’s what we did,” Porter said.

The change was well received by the students when it rolled out last year, according to Porter.

“I think they were thrilled to have the opportunity to have a scholarship that was equal across the board for everybody that we offered the program to,” Porter said. “I’m really happy that we were able to make that adjustment.”

Porter said the change sends a signal to all that the Sterling Scholar program “is a special opportunity for students to rise up and reach their highest potential and then be recognized for that.”

“It doesn’t matter where you live,” Porter said. “You have the opportunity to be recognized for working hard, being a good student, being well rounded and striving to do your best.”

The awards help students realize there is a purpose to working hard to do their best, beyond just getting an A on their report cards, according to Porter.

“The reality is those scholarship recipients are more well rounded,” Porter said. “As you go through and read those applications, you’ll soon find that those kids are involved in a lot of things, not just the academics, but in social programs, in community programs, in personal achievement programs, developing their talents individually.”

The students put a lot into applying for the Sterling Scholar Awards, not just because they are filling out an application, but because “they really are people who have breadth,” according to Porter.

“When you think about leadership, good leaders are those who have a broad understanding of the issues and experience, and that’s been impressive to me to see the effort that these youth put into this scholarship qualification,” Porter said.

Porter said he has run into many past Sterling Scholar recipients, who even 20 or 30 years after winning the award refer to the program “with great fondness.”

“Being a Sterling Scholar recipient really means something to people,” Porter said. “I love to hear people refer to those memories because it tells me that it is something special.”

The Deseret Management Corporation is proud to sponsor the Sterling Scholar Awards through the Deseret News and KSL, and has been “for years and years,” according to Porter.

“It’s a program that has real merit, and those students who participate in it I think all value that opportunity,” Porter said. “It really is quite a memorable recognition, so we’re pleased to do that.”

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