SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Utah Attorney General Derek Brown welcomed a new class of students to the Attorney General’s Student Advisory Council, continuing a program that hands the state’s young leaders a direct role in the policy conversations that affect them and encourages a lifelong habit of civic participation.
This year’s Council seats 95 high school juniors and seniors who will sit down with the people who run state government — Attorney General Brown, lawmakers, prosecutors, and policy experts — for a year of seminars and roundtable discussions. The students come from communities across Utah, representing Davis, Juab, Rich, Salt Lake, San Juan, Sevier, Summit, Utah, and Washington Counties.
Leading the group are Council Chair Kelsey Plew (American Fork High School) and Vice Chairs Ruthie Whyte (Maple Mountain High School) and Anna Kuck (Park City High School), all named by Attorney General Brown for the leadership they’ve shown and their commitment to serving the public.
The Council gathers once a month, trading off between virtual meetings and in-person sessions at the Utah State Capitol. Those meetings give students a platform to weigh in on the issues in front of the Office right now, from online safety and substance abuse to youth crime and broader questions of public policy. Members will also sit in on committee hearings and follow legislation as it moves, a firsthand look at how a bill becomes law.
At its first gathering of the year, Attorney General Brown greeted the incoming class and spoke about the Office of the Utah Attorney General’s charge to protect every Utahn, young people included.
Over the coming months, students will team up on civic engagement projects aimed at real problems in their own communities. Earlier cohorts have shaped work the Office cares deeply about, offering input on L.E.T.S. Stay Safe Utah, the SafeUT App, and a number of proposed bills.