39 incarcerated individuals celebrated earning their high school diplomas from South Park Academy — the educational entity of the Utah State Correctional Facility.
SALT LAKE CITY — It was inside the confines of the Utah State Correctional Facility that Cesia Ortiz had an epiphany.
"At first, the teachers wanted me to graduate more than I did. I was just being compliant ... and I wasn't giving school much effort," Ortiz said. "Eventually, I started excelling by earning credits ... and became very satisfied.""I think about my children often and how this new stepping stone — getting my diploma — won't just benefit me, it will benefit all of them," Ortiz said.
To Patton, earning a high school diploma while incarcerated was the graduate's version of overcoming the abyss and becoming heroes. Chris Sullivan, principal of South Park Academy, said that the graduates dealt with many obstacles that could've hindered their progress. When the Department of Correctionsin Draper to the $1 billion Utah State Correctional Facility in Salt Lake City, the South Park Academy was shaken up, too.
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