Southwestern Valedictorian headed to IU to study Neuroscience

Editor’s note: This is the fourth in a series of feature stories celebrating the Class of 2026 valedictorians and salutatorians at the five high schools in Shelby County.

A field trip to a cadaver lab was all Claire Utley needed to confirm her interest in the human brain.

The Southwestern High School Class of 2026 Valedictorian will attend Indiana University in the fall to study Neuroscience. A career in research or the opportunity to become a physician’s assistant is the goal.

“I’ve always been really interested in how the brain works,” said Utley. “My junior year I was in AP Biology and I got to go to the cadaver lab at IU Indianapolis. I got to see the human brain. It was cut in half. You could see everything in there. I thought the anatomy part was super interesting as well.”

Attending a school the size of IU will be a challenge for Utley, who graduated from a high school with just under 150 students across four grades.

“It is very intimidating. I had my orientation in mid-June,” said Utley. “It was definitely a little scary because at some point they kind of make you separate from your parents. They make you talk to people your own age. There were so many people.

“At IU, you have to choose a day to sign up for orientation. Even the two days I was there, there were like 4,000 students.”

Utley will not have trouble finding fellow Shelby County graduates walking around the Bloomington campus. And she was impressed with how easily she made friends during the orientation process.

“I felt a lot better after I ended up making some friends and found a group of people,” she said. “I hope it will be like that when I go to college. I’ve always had a small group of friends here (at Southwestern), but I’ve never had a big group of people that I’ve hung out with outside of sports.”

While at Southwestern, Utley competed in volleyball, basketball, track and field and tennis. She also participated in student council and SADD (Students Against Drunk Driving).

While nervous about her next adventure, it is not as terrifying as addressing her fellow graduates at the commencement ceremony.

“I was super nervous. John Tindall, my principal, said I was shaking when I got up to the podium,” said Utley. “I wrote from my heart and got a lot of compliments on (the speech). A lot of people said it was really good so that made me feel good especially after being so nervous about it.”

IU checked off many interests for Utley. She did not want to go to an out-of-state school. Being close with her family, Bloomington is only an hour away from home. And if she opts for another educational track, there are numerous other options for her to explore.

“When I visited the campus, on first look it was beautiful,” said Utley. “I enjoyed the comfort of knowing I didn’t have to 100% stick with the major I have because it’s not my thing at all, there are a lot of majors to choose from.

“To go from this small school, I moved here in fifth grade, it’s all I’ve known. I’ve wanted to go to a bigger school and get that experience. Even if I hate it, I want to get that experience.”

And that first experience will be the feeling of being a freshman all over again.

“Being a senior is so different than any other year of high school. You feel like a leader. You feel like you make an impact on underclassmen,” stated Utley. “I felt comfortable in my own skin. I never felt like that in high school. I was always trying to impress the upperclassmen or impress the teachers. This year, I felt comfortable in my own skin.

“It’s a different feeling being a senior. Going back to being a freshman and square one, you have to find the people who help you fit in again. I know it’s different. It will be a lot different than here.”

Utley is the daughter of Jason and Kassie Utley.

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