OHS Grad Stroud earns full scholarship to Utah State University

Olney High School 2022 graduate Sarah Stroud pushed herself hard the past four years in athletics, academia and community service. Stroud’s hard work paid off when Utah State University recognized her achievements and presented her with a full fouryear scholarship.

Stroud became one of only about thirty students chosen to be a USU Ambassador - no easy feat considering there are about eight hundred applicants each year. The Masters Scholarship that Stroud received is not easily obtained; Stroud said university officials looked at her life like a portfolio, asking questions and examining her academic record, athletics history, community service hours and life as a whole. Stroud says she maintained a 4.0 grade point average and with college hours it was about a 4.5, that combined with the many sports and scholastic competitions she competed in made her a top candidate.

Stroud says she wants to be a veterinarian and has chosen a course of study at USU to make that goal a reality. Stoud will study animal science with a pre-veterinarian route and later finish up her degree with veterinarian graduate school. Stroud hopes to live and work in the Rocky Mountains area so she can work in the wildlife field, animal conservation in particular.

While attending OHS, Stroud has been an exemplary student athlete, representing what the Olney Independent School District strives for with every student. Stroud has worked tirelessly over the past four years to achieve what no other student was able to achieve as a 2022 graduate: Stroud was the only graduate to be inducted into the OHS Athletic Hall of Fame. Being an inductee requires a strong commitment for a student over the course of all four years at OHS. Inductees must build up at least three hundred and fifty points by graduation. Points are earned with lettering in varsity sports, and points are not easily obtained. Stroud lettered in cross-country and track for four years and basketball for three years. Stroud says she doesn’t plan to play sports for the school while at college but may play in some intermural leagues. Stroud says she plans on focusing all her time on her studies.

When asked what advice Stroud would give students entering high school this year, Stroud said, “Definitely push yourself. I know that sounds really cheesy, but you need to have a mindset that you’re going to win and that you’re going to achieve things. Also just listen to your coaches. They know what they’re talking about. Put in any extra work that you can, they really appreciate kids who work hard and kids who are willing to go the extra mile. Just love the sports that you do, because if you don’t love it, you’re not going to have fun and having fun is the most important part. I think that having fun definitely allowed me to go farther because I loved it, I wasn’t like this is a drag, it’s more like, I can do this. I love doing this!”