Campus News

Westminster Sophomore Awarded Youthlinc Scholarship

SALT LAKE CITY – Westminster College sophomore Cara Cerise was recently awarded the Utah Young Humanitarian Award by Youthlinc, a Utah-based local and international service program for youth. Cerise was awarded a $5,000 college scholarship – the state’s largest service scholarship – by an independent panel of community leaders.

The purpose of the award is to recognize Utah young people who excel at giving back to the community. The award is funded by the George S. & Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation.

“Cara’s service leadership, which spans the last five years of her young life, is consistently focused on inclusion,” says Youthlinc local service director Julia Wee. Cerise, who serves on the Board of Director’s for Salt Lake’s Inclusion Center, founded the Utah Chapter of COLAGE (Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere) when she was 16 years old.

She has worked locally and internationally in the area of HIV prevention and woman’s health, volunteering as an intern and Spanish translator with the Utah Pride Center, and in Paraguay with HIV positive, indigenous and impoverished youth.

Her commitment to inclusion extends beyond sexual orientation and a disease that can cause social shunning. In Paraguay, Cerise also worked with kids with disabilities, a group not integrated into that nation’s public school system, but relegated to poorly funded and staffed facilities.

As a junior and senior in high school, Cerise was president of BOND (Building One New Dream), a social justice club working to break barriers between social groups. For the past five years, as a counselor at Camp Anytown, she has mentored other youth through examinations of prejudice, culture and communication.

“In addition to all her volunteer work, Cara is an exceptional full-time student with a 3.98 GPA, a dedicated gymnastics coach and a domestic care provider,” says Hande Togrul, Adult Program director for the Inclusion Center.” I don’t know how she takes on all these involvements, but she does so with a tirelessly up-beat and positive attitude. For her, social justice is not an idea. It’s a way of life.”

For more information about the Youthlinc Utah Young Humanitarian Award and the 2011 recipient, Cara Cerise, contact Youthlinc local service director, Julia Wee 801-467-4417 office@youthlinc.org

For more information about Youthlinc and all our service programs, visit www.youthlinc.org.

Media Contact: Krista DeAngelis, (801) 832-2682
June 1, 2011

About Westminster:
Westminster is a nationally recognized, comprehensive liberal arts college. With a broad array of graduate and undergraduate programs, Westminster is distinguished by its unique environment for learning. Westminster prepares students for success through active and engaged learning, real world experiences and its vibrant campus community. Westminster’s unique location, adjacent to the Rocky Mountains and to the dynamic city of Salt Lake, further enriches the college experience. For more information, visit www.westminstercollege.edu or follow WestminsterSLC on Twitter.