Meet the Deseret News/KSL 2025 General Sterling Scholar

Xiaocheng Ai’s computer science journey started when her father picked up a book called “Learning Python with Dad.”

“He had the foresight to introduce me to programming just to see if I would like it, and I think my child-self looking at the computer screen, pressing a button, seeing the computer do something back, was kind of … a magical moment for me,” Ai said. “I was blown away.”

Her father’s early training paid off as Ai, a senior and coding prodigy from Corner Canyon High School, was named the 2025 Deseret News/KSL General Sterling Scholar, topping a field of 167 finalists. Ai and dozens of other winners were announced Thursday evening during an awards ceremony at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Conference Center Little Theater in downtown Salt Lake City.

The students were nominated by their high schools for their academic achievements, leadership and service to their communities.

“I’ve just basked in being able to surround myself with such amazing peers,” said Ai after receiving her award. “It’s a lot because it’s the culmination of the work that I put in. I’m still struggling to recover.”

Students going on to big things

Deseret News and KSL launched the Sterling Scholar program in 1962 in an effort to promote academic excellence. Utah’s top high school seniors can earn $2,500 scholarships in each category, while runners-up take home $1,000. The Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Foundation sponsor the program.

Prizes were awarded to finalists in business and marketing, science, dance, English, family and consumer sciences, instrumental music, mathematics, skilled and technical sciences, social science, visual arts, vocal performance, world languages and speech, theater arts, and debate. Runner-ups received $1,000 each.

Ai’s first place in the computer technology category and grand prize came with a combined $5,000 scholarship.

“This award is a motivator. … It’s like, ‘Oh, well, then maybe I can do this,’” said Ai, who plans to head to Stanford University and major in computer science.

“I’ve been struggling with a lot of imposter syndrome, you know, because (Stanford) is a big school … but this is a big motivator for me and I’ll continue to do my best and try my very hardest.”

Ai currently interns at Lucid Software as a front-end engineer — a position usually reserved for college students. She also serves as a student board member for SheTech, which supports young women in STEM. Her coding achievements include developing a program that can predict the likelihood of heart attacks using patient data and a Mario-inspired platform game.

Additionally, the Gail Miller Community Service Award, which is worth $2,000, was awarded to Sonya Clayton of Pleasant Grove High School. Clayton, who was also a finalist in the speech, theater arts and forensics category, previously earned the Gold Medal President’s Volunteer Service Award for totaling up over 250 service hours for the Korean community, including at community festivals and benefit concerts.

“Most of my life growing up was spent this way, my Korean culture being somewhat of a mystery to many of the people that I met,” Clayton said. “This is why, along with my family, I decided to try for the highest level — gold — of the President’s Volunteer Service Award by serving the Korean organizations in Utah.“

Skyline High School senior Luca DalCanto took home the Philo T. Farnsworth Governor’s Award, which awards one Utah student $1,000 for innovation. The award is named in tribute of Utahn Philo T. Farnsworth, who invented the vacuum tube and is considered the father of television.

DalCanto, who was also a finalist in the computer technology category, developed an app about chess, works as a webmaster, runs his own math-tutoring business and self-published a 300-page science fiction novel called “Sola,” which DalCanto described as a coming-of-age novel where the characters invent languages to rewire the way they think.

“I’ve always had a very math-science brain and I’m just really interested in learning new things and how the universe works,” DalCanto told the Deseret News.

DalCanto’s future plans include an engineering degree at Purdue University.

Over 20 high schools were represented on Thursday night. Skyline High School topped other high schools with 10 finalists, including DalCanto. American Fork came in second with seven. Xiaocheng Ai’s high school, Corner Canyon, came in with four, while Clayton was the only Sterling Scholar from Pleasant Grove High School.

Students from Bingham High School, Herriman High School, Highland High School, Mountain Ridge High School, Salem Hills High School, Timpview High School, Viewmont High School, West High School and Woods Cross High School also won Sterling Scholar category awards.