Commencement 2023: Honorary Doctorate Senator Luz Escamilla

Senator Luz Escamilla

Senator Luz Escamilla’s deep appreciation for education stems from her parents, who worked hard to provide opportunities for themselves and their children. Both her mother and father attended college in Mexico and earned PhDs in chemical engineering. “Education was always part of our lives,” she says.

At an early age Senator Escamilla realized her path to success depended on going to college. Before her election as Utah’s first Latina and immigrant state senator in 2008, she earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Marketing and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Utah. Now in her fifth term in the Utah State Senate, Senator Escamilla serves on the Senate leadership team as the Senate Minority Leader. She is also the co-chair of Utah’s Women in the Economy Commission, and she is a managing partner at ESCATEC Solutions, which helps organizations improve their customers’ experience.

Senator Escamilla believes that SLCC, an emerging Hispanic Serving Institution, plays an essential role in Utah’s economy. “Our emerging communities are providing the highest fertility rates—they are literally our future workforce,” she says. “In the end, when you have individuals get the degree or certificate and get in the workforce, we all win.”

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