Two winners of the ACLU of Utah’s Youth Activist Scholarship Program have been selected by the American Civil Liberties Union as winners in a national scholarship competition.

February 25, 2008 – SALT LAKE CITY – Two young Utah women will receive national recognition from the American Civil Liberties Union for their local activist efforts. Cara Cerise (Highland High School) and Rachelle Harrison (Hillcrest High School) will both receive a $5,000 college scholarships, as well as a trip to Washington, D.C., in June to attend the ACLU’s 2008 National Membership Conference.

Cara and Rachelle, along with Michelle Riplinger (Ogden High School), were the local winners of the ACLU of Utah’s Youth Activist Scholarship Program. The students each wrote a 1,000-word essay describing why they became Civil Liberties Activists. A panel of judges reviewed the applications and considered the strength and depth of the students’ contributions to Civil Liberties, the likelihood of continuing commitment, and the obstacles the students overcame in achieving their goals.

These local winners will be recognized at the ACLU of Utah’s Bill of Rights Celebration on May 8 at the Sheraton in downtown Salt Lake City. Their awards were announced in November 2007, and their names then submitted to the nationwide competition to be considered against entries from high school activists across the nation.

Cara and Rachelle are among only 15 winners of the ACLU’s National Youth Activist Scholarship. Utah's was the only ACLU state affiliate with multiple winners represented in the national competition. Because Cara and Michelle are the winners of this national distinction, the ACLU of Utah will receive an additional $10,000 in funding from the national organization to support and expand our on-going outreach efforts to cultivate more youth Civil Liberties champions.

CARA CERISE, HIGHLAND HIGH SCHOOL “I’m an activist because I know I can make a difference. As I finish high school, my activism will not stop. I see it as an ongoing process. It is my passion, my drive, my reason for living.” Cara has been active in supporting LGBT rights and social justice throughout her high school career. She held leadership roles in her school’s social justice club, Building One New Dream (BOND), and lobbied against anti-gay bills in Utah’s state legislature. Cara started the Utah chapter of Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere (COLAGE), a support group designed to “engage, connect, and empower people to make the world a better place for children of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender parents and families.” Cara won the ACLU of Utah’s $1,000 Youth Activist Scholarship prior to winning the national scholarship.

RACHELLE HARRISON, OGDEN HIGH SCHOOL “…I have strengthened my belief that it is important to defend the rights and meet the needs of all people. I have also learned that an individual or a group of individuals can make a real difference in the world.” While only in the sixth grade, Rachelle realized there was a problem with a school busing policy that prevented students at her school from having equal access to educational programs. She gathered data and petitioned the school board to provide transportation for students who would have otherwise been excluded. She continued working on this issue throughout middle school and high school. Her efforts led to the school adopting a more inclusive busing system.Rachelle won one of two ACLU of Utah $500 Youth Activist Scholarship before she won the national scholarship.

The ACLU of Utah’s second $500 scholarship was won by Michelle Riplinger of Ogden High School. Michelle’s activist work was inspired by a friend’s struggle to reconcile his sexual orientation with his religious beliefs. She created a twenty-minute documentary, entitled “Two Loves,” that explores the stories of those who have encountered this conflict.

Read the original announcement of the ACLU of Utah Youth Activist Scholarship winners.

To learn more about our scholarship winners, or to find out how to get in touch with these amazing young women (for press requests), contact Anna Brower, Development Director, at abrower@acluutah.org or (801) 521-9862 ext. 100.