Salt Lake Community College student Israel Santana recently
received the 2015 Youthlinc Utah Young Humanitarian Award and a $5,000
scholarship through the sponsoring nonprofit Youthlinc, the largest
service-based scholarship program in the state.
Israel Santana
The award
recognizes Santana’s involvement for the past six years with the Mestizo Arts
& Activism Collective (MAA), helping to empower youth on Salt Lake City’s
west side to become community leaders. In high school he used poetry and
photography at MAA to share his experiences growing up a west sider, where drug
and gang activity in his community could have steered Santana from his academic
path. “If it hadn’t been for the Mestizo Arts and Activism Collective, I would
have either been in prison or dead,” he said. As a college student he has been
mentoring younger students about the value of education. Santana is quoted on
the Youthlinc website saying, “My leadership in Salt Lake City has focused on
empowering young people of color to pursue a higher education, become
politically aware, and maintain a sense of pride in their cultures, all while
pursuing positive social change.”
Israel Santana
Santana’s plan is to finish at SLCC this fall and then
transfer to the University of Utah next spring to pursue a bachelor's degree in sociology toward one day becoming a professor in the subject. One of the scholarship contest
judges, Peter Ingle, Westminster College Dean of the School of Education, said,
“Israel is going to change the world.” Youthlinc Local Service Director Jerika
Mays said the award is important because it “celebrates young people who excel
at giving back in their community in hopes of inspiring more youth to
volunteer.” The annual scholarship offerings of $5,000, $3,000 (runner up),
$1,000 (three awards) and $500 (five awards), are funded by the George S. &
Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation, the Robert D. Kent Jr. Trust and by Shaun
Michel.
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