"She's the kind of kid you wish your kids to be," said art teacher Robyn Harris. "She thinks of others."

"She's always had this outlook on life. I'd have the worst day, and see that smile and say, 'I have no problems.' She's my hero," said her father. "She'll humble you real fast."

"She's funny. She's smart. I think she truly motivates students to try their best," aide Chapman said. "If they've had contact with her, they can't say, 'I can't do this,' because they've seen her do it."

"I think she's awesome," said friend Brittaney Mitchell. "She's always willing to listen. Every time I put myself down, she tells me I can do it . . . over and over."

Rees' spirit recently spread through the school community.

Last fall, they nominated her for homecoming queen — a title she won, some say, by no close vote. Even other candidates for the honor reportedly asked to bow out when they heard Rees was in the running.

"It was the buzz around the school," coach Miller said. "It overshadowed the game."

The moment was a highlight for Rees, too.

"School is the best (where) students would do that kind of thing for me," Rees said, recalling how the Homecoming king lifted her from her wheelchair and whirled her around the dance floor. Later, she said, "I kind of teared up because I was so happy."

Rees' homecoming story was featured on The Early Show on CBS.

First lady Huntsman picked Rees up as an ambassador for her Power in You program, where inspiring student mentors assist younger students who are struggling.

"The minute I met her I was taken with her," Huntsman said of Rees.

"You don't see a disability in her; you see this beautiful face, just shining," she said. "She has taught me so much. I watch her, and you look at what she's going through, and I've never seen someone so happy and radiate the way she does, always. Life is not easy for her, but she loves life. She is the queen of everyone's hearts."

Colleges from Utah and Idaho have been recruiting her for art programs, and she took classes on scholarship at a Sugar House art center. She says she might pursue a career in computers or painting and plans to start her studies at Salt Lake Community College and finish at the University of Utah.

Whatever her path, Rees' teachers and friends know she will be successful.

So does Rees.

"Nothing will stop me," Rees says with her characteristic smile. "I believe in myself. . . . I never look down on myself . . . never give up."

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E-mail: jtcook@desnews.com