Skip to content
College of Law
Home GIVE The Arc to Justice Program

"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice."
-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The inspiration for the Arc to Justice program comes from these immortal words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., which serve as a constant reminder of the profound responsibility we bear as members of the legal community who are charged with educating the next generation of attorneys. This is why Dr. King's words rise above us on the wall of the moot courtroom in our building.

The College of Law not only believes this maxim is vital to our mission, but we acknowledge that bending the arc toward justice demands deliberate action by all of us in the legal community. This is a mission we cannot achieve without your commitment.

 

The Arc to Justice Program

The Arc to Justice program provides scholarships (Arc Fellowships) to high-achieving members of our incoming JD class who have overcome significant obstacles in life, such as socioeconomic disadvantage, disability, being the first in their family to attend college, attending under-resourced schools, or other major hardships or challenges.

In addition to helping underwrite the cost of legal education, the program works to integrate students from all backgrounds into the legal community—which is particularly important for students who are first-generation lawyers and have never been exposed to our profession or its members. Additionally, the program provides Arc fellows with additional mentoring opportunities and summer employment opportunities following their 1L year.

Arc to Justice Program Partners

Sponsors

 

Supporters

    Parr Brown Gee & Loveless logo     

Becoming a Law Firm Partner

As partners of the Arc to Justice program, law firms support Utah's Law's efforts to enhance justice for all people, especially from underrepresented populations. The college can configure the partnership experience to best meets the needs and interests of the firm and student fellows, and to give your firm unique opportunities to get to know the fellows.

We welcome suggestions from partnering firms on ways to deliberately work towards equity by increasing opportunities for these students and enhancing their potential.

To explore partnership opportunities in the Arc to Justice program, contact Lexie Kite, senior director of development and alumni relations, at lexie.kite@law.utah.edu.

Contact Us

Meet our Arc Fellows

A transformative experience: Hannah Olsen begins dream journey at Utah Law
1L Hannah Olsen’s journey to law school began with the question she asked as a child: “Who has the power to change this?”
Read more
Not alone in law school: Meet Arc Fellow Ana Lozano
1L Ana Lozano grew up on the border of Mexico and the United States. She was born in El Paso, Texas, but she was raised and attended school in the border town Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico.
Read more
Law as a tool of empowerment: Meet Arc Fellow Barbara Czaja
Barbara Czaja was born and raised in Kielce, Poland, and came to New York City at 18 with two suitcases, a few hundred dollars and limited English. When she was physically assaulted shortly after arriving in the United States, she gained a new perspective on the world—and law.
Read more

Past Arc Fellows

A more significant impact: Arc Fellow Brock Smith discusses passion for forensic social work
Brock Smith is a tribal member of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin. As an adolescent, he faced socioeconomic hardships that led to his involvement with Utah’s juvenile justice system, an experience that sparked his curiosity about how society manages social issues.
Read more »
Part of Utah’s legal legacy: Meet Arc Fellow Valeria Jimenez
A first-generation Latina law student and the daughter of Mexican immigrants, Valeria Jimenez says her parents instilled in her the importance of education from a young age. That focus on learning inspired her to launch a scholarship program for first-generation students in her hometown of Heber City, Utah.
Read more »
Arc Fellow Neida Morales hopes to advance diversity in the legal profession
Born in Mexico, Morales moved to the United States just a few months later and grew up on a cattle ranch near Alpine, Texas, in the western corner of the state.
Read more »
Guiding changes to public health services: Meet Arc Fellow Hannah Bruce
Hannah Bruce, a Nova Scotia native, originally moved to Utah to play Division 1 soccer at Utah Valley University in 2016 — a move that launched several other opportunities around the globe.
Read more »
Arc Fellowship recipient Austin Edens on his journey to Utah Law
Growing up in El Paso, Texas, 1L Austin Edens found his calling for the law while driving with his dad along the Cesar E. Chavez Border Highway that skirts Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, which a decade ago was considered the most violent place on Earth.
Read more
1L Jesus Salazar hopes to be a voice for the voiceless
Jesus Salazar was casually considering law school as an option — but when his family and friends faced incidents of discrimination based on their race, it solidified his decision.
Read more
1L Maria Fernandez hopes to make a difference as a public defender
When Maria Fernandez took an internship at a homeless shelter in Santa Fe, it was mostly because she liked the area and wanted to stick around for a while after her worldwide backpacking trip. She didn’t expect to love the work as much as she did.
Read more