About

Since its inception in 1962, the Deseret News Sterling Scholar competition (www.sterlingscholar.org) has recognized top seniors from Utah high schools. Every year, these students create unique portfolios that showcase their accomplishments. They undergo a rigorous application and interview process, after which, winners are declared in various categories. These students then go on to college, some to church missions, and careers. Their success stories - save for brief newspaper blurbs - go with them.

What if, before they moved on in life and while their memories are still fresh, we found out made them tick? When and how did they start on this path to scholarship success? How did their parents keep them on track through the distractions of teenagehood? Did they have setbacks and how did they overcome them? How did they balance school, work, service, church, sports, instruments, and family? How did they develop that drive and self-motivation?

As the mom of a senior who is the General Sterling Scholar of her high school and who has received multiple scholarships to universities, I have been asked by other parents what my husband and I did to help our daughter achieve her success. As I shared her story in a Facebook post, I realized that her scholarship "track," if you will, started long before she faced a pile of scholarship applications her senior year. Many of her decisions, habits and experiences - seemingly trivial then, clear back to when she was in elementary school - all contributed to her later success.

When my daughter was making her Sterling Scholar portfolio, some parents asked for tips on making a good portfolio. There were some guidelines online, but not enough, they lamented. Some of her peers asked for her input on theirs. I urged my daughter that after she completes her portfolio, she write down techniques that helped her create one in a timely, and even enjoyable fashion.

In that same spirit, I would like to use my 20 years of journalistic background to gather and share Sterling Scholar success stories. Through in-depth profiles, I will discover patterns and tips that can inspire other parents and students to start and stay on the scholarship track. On this page I will also post stories about young scholars and achievers outside the Sterling Scholar program.

My hope is that by doing so, I can help preserve these success stories for those who wish to follow in their footsteps.

Jewel Allen is an award-winning journalist and owns Treasured Stories (www.TreasuredStories.net), a memoir publishing company. Originally from the Philippines, she completed a B.S. degree in English from Utah State University through scholarships. Visit her blog at www.jewelallen.blogspot.com