On Tuesday, Huntsman, wife of Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., brought her "Power in You" campaign to the campus of Southern Utah University in Cedar City.

A number of speakers, including the governor and Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, delivered the message to more than 1,000 students in grades seven through 12 from several southern Utah counties.

In an interview after the rally, Mary Kaye Huntsman said the core message to students is for them to recognize their genius and develop it.

That can be done through development of dreams, passion and their emulation of personal heroes.

The program, she said, is intended to circulate through Utah schools and be available through DVDs and a Web site later this month. It is represented by 40 ambassadors who overcame hardships and excelled.

The Power in You ambassadors, ages 15-34, will focus on 10 categories that can adversely affect teenagers' lives and self-esteem - ranging from obesity and medical problems to substance abuse and depression.

"We have to remove labels of how some believe in themselves like 'loser' or 'delinquent,' ” Utah's first lady said. "We need to look at human beings and realize there is something unique in them as [people]."

One example she used: Billy Scheffenhauer, whose early life with a drug-addicted mother included bathing in City Creek Canyon near Salt Lake City and digging his meals out of fast-food trash bins.

Scheffenhauer rose above his circumstances to win a silver medal in bobsledding at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

Shurtleff told the crowd that they should remove labels that stereotype people. He warned boys to respect girls and not treat them as sex objects.

He also said teens should not be afraid of saying "no" to what they know is wrong.

"Don't buy the lies and crap," Shurtleff said. "Be stubborn, even if you are in the minority."

mhavnes@sltrib.com