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South Valley Riverton Journal

Turning The Ignition On Academic Success

May 08, 2015 10:42PM ● By Lewi Lewis

Keys To Success put on an assembly at Herriman High School where they presented four students with $1000 scholarships.

Schools that participate in the Keys to Success program are giving students who are serious about secondary schooling a chance to get a head start. 

Keys To Success is a program within the Success in Education foundation, an organization that attempts to motivate Utah elementary and high school students to academically advance by working with schools to reward educational accomplishments. 

Those rewards? Aside from an iPad giveaway and a chance to win a brand new car supplied by Ken Garff, $1,000 scholarships are given away to students who have shown their desire and dedication to earning a post-high school degree. 

Over the past 10 years, more than 600 scholarships have been awarded to Utah students, totaling well over half a million dollars. The scholarships are provided by the multiple universities, post-secondary educational institutions and business sponsors who have partnered with Keys To Success, in a widespread, collective effort to better the future lives of Utah students. 

Cerynn Peterson is one of the four students from Herriman High to receive one of these scholarship during an April 30 assembly.

A lot of decisions go into the process of choosing a future career path when you’re in high school, and often, initial interests lead to seemingly unconnected paths. Such was the case for Cerynn; she found her decision in the desire to see other’s happy.

By following an interest in photography, she quickly found out that composing a flattering photo of someone made them feel good about themselves. She realized that there was no real difference with make-up.

“It brought me pleasure to bring joy to others that maybe did not feel so good about themselves and how they looked,” she said.

Cerynn received a cosmetology scholarship from Paul Mitchell. She hopes to help children suffering from cancer feel beautiful about themselves by doing their make-up and wigs for them.  

Utah Valley University awarded Kaitlin Braithwaite with a scholarship that she will put toward a degree in business. 

She has been saving money from a part-time job at a local elementary in order to go to college. She was ‘super excited’ when she heard she had earned the scholarship; Kaitlin was unavailable for further comment. 

Alyssa Rigby and Noah Flandro are the other two scholarship winners from Herriman High.

Alyssa came away with the Richard Richards Ethic scholarship from Weber State University where she will work in getting a nursing degree. “It means a lot,” she said. 

Noah wants a degree in graphic design with a minor in creative writing. Salt Lake Community College provided his scholarship.

With the price of secondary schooling more expensive than ever, Noah articulated simply what these scholarships meant for all four of them.

“I’m really excited because it lightens the load of having to pay for college.”