For most of high school, Edinburgh Community High School’s salutatorian was third in her class.
Then, about a week and a half before graduation, Kierra Sowers found out her grade-point average had boosted her to be the No. 2 ranked student in her graduating class.
Sowers was fine with third place; she just wanted to do well in school. Instead of celebrating right away, her first thought was that she would have to speak at graduation.
“I’m happy, I worked really hard, I just wish I had known sooner,” Sowers said.
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Placing near the top two was never a concern or a goal for Sowers, she said. The recent Edinburgh Community High School graduate just wanted to get good grades to try to earn scholarships for college, she said.
“I wanted to do the best I can and be in the top 10,” Sowers said.
She knew she would have to pay for most of college herself and wanted to make sure she could save up as much as she could.
“I didn’t want to rely on the money that people would give me,” she said.
She worked part-time at a shoe store at the Edinburgh Premium Outlets. After work, she would study. Some nights, she studied until after midnight, she said.
Her parents always made her education a top priority. In elementary school, she could not do anything else until her homework was done.
When she reached higher grades, she knew she would have to strive to push herself.
She did not participate in extracurricular activities at school, believing she could help more people volunteering in the community, she said. She helped her church with a Bible quiz event and volunteered at a local food pantry.
“There is more opportunity to help people out in the community,” she said. “It makes me feel better knowing that I helped someone.”
This fall, she will attend the University of Indianapolis or IUPUI to get a certification in radiology.
She thought she wanted to be a teacher. But her older sister works at a dental office, and after job shadowing there for about six weeks, she decided that she wanted to help people with their teeth, she said.
“I can help people feel more confident, and your mouth has a lot to do with your health overall,” Sowers said.
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Name: Kierra Sowers
School: Edinburgh Community High School salutatorian
Parents: Rachael and Ernie Smith
College: Undecided
Major: Certified course in radiology
Favorite subject: English
Least favorite subject: Chemistry
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