Daniel Pearl scholarship winner wants to change society through music

PITTSFIELD, Mass. (AP) — A student who says he got goosebumps the first time he played the violin in an orchestra is this year’s recipient of a college scholarship given in honor of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. Geivens Dextra of Pittsfield High School will use the $2,000 Daniel Pearl Berkshire Scholarship to pursue a bachelor’s degree in music. The scholarship has been awarded annually since 2003 to a high school student from the Berkshire Hills region of western Massachusetts who plans to major in journalism or music, Pearl’s passions. Pearl started his journalism career in the region. He was kidnapped and killed in Pakistan in January 2002 while investigating a story on terrorism.