WEST JORDAN Rachel Kearl was beaming. The East High School senior had just finished her interview and performance as a Sterling Scholars dance semifinalist and despite being slightly out of breath, she was feeling great.
“It went so well,” she said. “I just felt like I could collect my thoughts because I had gotten through the hardest part.”
In this case the hardest part was a dance inspired by the way Kearl feels when sunshine hits her skin that immediately preceded an interview about her qualifications and her extracurricular experience. Having already been named the Sterling scholar in dance for East High School, Kearl was at Copper Hills High School Wednesday along with hundreds of other seniors from high schools along the Wasatch Front hoping to advance to the next round in the competitive scholarship program that honors the best and brightest in academic achievement.
Kearl has been dancing since she was 3 years old and for the past four years has been on scholarship with dance companies. Like many students preparing to graduate, Kearl had been evaluating her goals and asking herself whether she truly wanted to pursue dancing.