Accolades & Press

Honors, awards, competitions, and media features.

Academic Honors

  • AP Scholar with Distinction — College Board, 2022. Passed 7 AP exams with an average score of 4.71.
  • WHS Math Hall of Fame Inductee — Wasatch High School. Inducted for earning a 5 on the AP Calculus exam.
  • Heber Valley Rotary Academic Excellence Award — 9th, 10th, and 11th grades. Awarded for maintaining a 4.0 unweighted GPA.
  • WHS Scholars Academy — Wasatch High School. Recognized for excellence in General Scholarship, Vocal Performance, Science, and Theatre Art. Inductees are nominated by teachers.
  • L’Heureux Family Scholarship — Stanford University. Scholarship supporting undergraduate education at Stanford.
  • AAPPL Spanish Certification — ACTFL, 2021. Earned an I1 rating, one of the top scores in his class.

Science & STEM

  • 2022 Trajectory State Champion — Utah Science Olympiad. Constructed, calibrated, and operated a school catapult called “The Little Doctor.”
  • Science Olympiad Competitor — Wasatch High School (founding team member). Competed in Agricultural Science, Cell Biology, and Engineering events.
  • Founder & President, Kepler Science Club — Wasatch High School. Founded Wasatch’s science club; coordinated labs and educational opportunities including chemical engineering chain reactions, Biology dissections, and trajectory experiments.
  • CAPS Restoration Team Lead — Wasatch Center for Advanced Professional Studies. Led the Environment/Agriculture section, serving as drone specialist, data specialist (created a new protocol for transect data collection with Utah DNR), and oversaw treatment of invasive species and replanting of sustainable pine trees.
  • Stanford Spokes Team Selection — Stanford Digital Education, 2024. Selected as one of six undergraduates for the cross-country cycling and STEM education program.

Performing Arts

  • 1st Place, Classical High School Division — NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing), November 2021
  • 2nd Place, Cal Western Region Auditions — NATS, January 2023
  • 1st Place, Wasatch County Talent Find — Musical theatre category
  • Best Actor — The Case of the Crushed Petunias
  • 1st Place One-Act — How to Succeed in High School without Really Trying
  • 2nd Place, Region Theatre — Frankenstein
  • Shakespeare Festival Finalist & Showcase Honoree — Trio, Monologue, and Ensemble Scene categories
  • Chamber Choir Varsity Letter — Wasatch High School, 11th grade
  • FBLA Impromptu Speaking — Represented Wasatch at the 2022 National FBLA Competition in Chicago
  • 2021 Parliamentary Procedure State Champion — FBLA; placed in Parli Pro events four times at state level

Leadership & Service

  • Eagle Scout, Gold Eagle Palm — BSA. Completed 31 merit badges. Eagle project: full renovation and redesign of a local theatre’s costume room. Gold Palm for pursuit of experiences beyond Eagle requirements.
  • Interact Club President — Heber Valley Rotary. Vice President in 11th grade, President in 12th. Planned monthly service and led a humanitarian trip to Mexico (hospital restoration, classroom preparation for special needs children, and teaching at an after-school program).
  • National Honor Society Officer Lead — Wasatch High School. Helped manage 250+ members and plan service projects including community Easter baskets, Letters from Santa, and Heber Valley Food Pantry drives.
  • Rotary Youth Leadership Awards — Represented Heber Valley
  • Midway Swiss Days Performer — Annual vocal performer (with family) at Midway Swiss Days, Utah’s second-largest festival (~100,000 attendees over Labor Day weekend), celebrating the town’s Swiss pioneer heritage.
  • Heber Valley Temple Groundbreaking Choir — Vocalist in a choir performing for thousands at the groundbreaking ceremony

In the News

“A yellow-dressed guardian angel: 21-year-old directs original play in Heber City” KSL, 2025 — Feature on the revised production of The Girl in the Yellow Dress at the Timpanogos Valley Theatre. Read the article

“It’s high school all over again in ‘Girl in the Yellow Dress’” Park Record, November 2025 — Review of the 2025 production. Read the article

“Local playwrights return to Heber City with original play” KPCW, October 2025 — Radio segment on Ethan and Tal Hughes returning to stage their revised play. Listen

“Young playwrights to premier their original play” KPCW Local News Hour, October 2025 — Interview segment ahead of the 2025 premiere. Listen

“Ethan’s Code” Stanford Momentum — Feature on Ethan’s personal value system, his path to Stanford, and the L’Heureux Family Scholarship. Read the story

Stanford Giving Feature Stanford University Giving — A post about Ethan’s journey from a high schooler surrounded by calculus notes and play scripts to Stanford. Read the post

“Re: Penitent Smith” The ITALIC Atlas (Medium), 2024 — A published mixed-media work exploring the complexity of multifaith identity. Read the piece

“Stanford cyclists shared their love of science this summer — and evolved as teachers” Stanford Digital Education, 2024 — Feature on the Spokes team’s ride and Ethan’s storytelling workshop. Read the article

“Stanford Spokes cyclists tackle education inequality” The Stanford Daily, September 2024 — Coverage of the 2024 Spokes team’s 4,000-mile ride. Read the article

“Stanford students ride and educate from S.F. to D.C.” Stanford Report, June 2024 — Stanford’s official coverage of the Spokes departure. Read the article

Profiles & Appearances