Top Left: Easton Potokar, Brayden Montgomery, Cashe Rumsey, Jacob Heywood, Kyson Filiaga
Center Left: Michelle Hartvigsen, Ryan Liston, Alex Anderson, Morgan Parks, Angelica Previte
Bottom Left: Lindsay Albrechtsen, Andrea Nef, Alexa Folkman, Rachel Harris
Kyson Filiaga is the technical Sterling Scholar out at Weber. He said, “I was motivated to become a Sterling Scholar because I felt like it was an award I could achieve. It is an award that will help me build a better scholarship application portfolio.” His favorite classes are the automotive ones. “They are everyday applicable science and CTE classes that bring in a lot of hands on learning.” Kyson’s biggest challenge has been time management. He said, “I do three sports [football, wrestling, discus and shot-put in track and field] and as a student athlete, I have to make sure to stay on top of all of my school work as well as try and succeed in my activities.” Besides sports, Kyson enjoys camping, fishing and working on cars. After high school, he plans on attending Weber State University in their automotive technology program.
Alex Anderson loves all the different aspects of social science, which is why he wanted to become Sterling Scholar for Weber in that subject. “Ever since I was a young student, I’ve loved learning about geography, history, government, psychology, etc.,” he said. He also likes being able to represent Weber High in an area that he is very passionate about. His favorite class has been AP Art History because he has “learned so many new things that are applicable to everyday life. I also have a class full of motivated and friendly people that have made it even better.” Alex’s biggest challenge has been learning to gain confidence in his self. He said, “Prior to my sophomore year, I was mostly shy, quiet and didn’t like to speak up. I took Debate my sophomore year and that really helped to boost my confidence. It built my speaking skills and took away that fear of speaking up. I was able to greatly increase my self-esteem through this experience.” Alex enjoys spending time with his friends and family and likes playing volleyball, wakeboarding, skiing, camping, golfing and going on vacation to Lake Powell. He plans on serving an LDS mission before attending college (possibly University of Utah) after high school, with the hopes of becoming a meteorologist.
Ryan Liston wanted to become the speech/theatre arts Sterling Scholar for Weber because he has spent a lot of time and effort into those subjects. He said, “It’s a nice subject to know” and has helped him become more confident. His favorite class is the production company out at Weber. It’s a class that he had to audition for, but it definitely played out well. Ryan was able to be a part of the company’s play “Tarzan” back in January and February where he played a leopard and a gorilla. “It was a lot of fun working with other students who have the same passion for drama that I do,” he said. Ryan’s biggest challenge has been learning to not be afraid to be in front of people, a skill that’s necessary especially for drama. “I’ve had to really learn how to just go for it as well as going with the flow of things. It can be tough, but it’s worth it in the end,” he said. In his spare time, Ryan likes to rock climb, ski, read, and do pretty much anything outdoorsy along with participating in hurdles for Weber’s track and field team. After high school, Ryan plans on attending Brigham Young University, with the hope of majoring in communications as well as continuing to act.
Angelica Previte has been in several English competitions, so naturally she decided to become the English Sterling Scholar for Weber. “It seemed like a fun challenge that I wanted to try,” she said about her decision. Angelica’s favorite class has been AP U.S. Government because she’s learned a lot about the government that she didn’t know before. She also thinks it a good idea for everyone to know how the government works in order to “become good citizens.” Her biggest challenge has stemmed from working as a counselor during the summer at Astro Camp in Ogden. “I’ve had to learn how to interact with everyone as well as learning to be on time,” she said. Angelica enjoys reading, writing, playing the piano in Weber’s jazz band and volunteering for the Standard Examiner for their TX edition. After high school, she plans on attending college with the hopes of going into the biomedical engineering field.
Cashe Rumsey became the computer technology Sterling Scholar for Weber because he has always had an interest in computers. “I started building web pages in the 8th grade, programming in the 10th grade and building/repairing computers this last summer. When the opportunity arose to show off my talent with computers by becoming a Sterling Scholar, I took it,” he said. His favorite class is Java programming. He takes it at the ATC, along with half of his other classes. Cashe’s biggest challenge came while driving home from Salt Lake City after interviewing for MIT a few months ago. “My car, that I had bought cheap and fixed with the help of my dad, threw a rod. Now I didn't have a car, and I drove about an hour and a half each day. I was already busy six days a week with work and soccer, and I was barely getting by financially. In order to afford to continue with my normal life, I had to cut back on everything extra and pick up extra hours at work - which seemed impossible since I was already doing something every day but Sundays. I ended up skipping a day of soccer each week to work to raise the needed money,” he said. Cashe enjoys playing soccer, skiing, hanging out with friends and messing around with computers. After high school, he plans on attending a prestigious university (he’s still waiting to hear back on acceptance letters), with the hopes of majoring in computer science and/or computer engineering.
The other Sterling Scholars for Weber are: Easton Potokar (math), Alexa Folkman (science), Brayden Montgomery (business and marketing), Rachel Harris (family and consumer science), Michelle Hartvigsen (art), Jacob Heywood (music/vocal), Andrea Nef (music/instrumental), Morgan Parks (world language) and Lindsay Albrechtsen (dance)
