“When I was growing up, my dad was in prison for about 14 years and my mom has been in and out of jail my whole life and is now homeless. Over time, I realized that the criminal justice system was something that I wanted to make a difference in. 

I am studying criminology with a certificate in social justice advocacy and I’m currently working at the Juvenile Delinquency Center. The criminal justice system is something I’ve always been interested in—not only because of my personal experiences with family but also with my experience in helping with peer court. Peer court is where kids go as first-time offenders and is focused more on rehabilitation than incarceration. It was created as a way to keep kids with minor crimes from entering the juvenile justice system. We would give kids different assignments based on their behavior; such as anger management classes, writing assignments, etc. Peer court helped me see my future potential and interest in the criminal justice system.

At the U, I took a class called Family Economics where I learned about the financial things that would normally be passed down from generation to generation such as how to buy a home, how loans work, etc. Not having parents teach me those things made this class really impactful. I’ve also enjoyed my criminology class since it gave me the language for things that I had already personally observed in my life. 

The reason I’m able to go to the University of Utah is because of the For Utah Scholarship. None of my family graduated from high school, so being able to have the opportunities I’ve had is really great. I believe that hard work pays off in the long run and I hope to use my education and experiences to help others.”

—Trinity Ceasar, recipient of the For Utah Scholarship