SALT LAKE CITY – May 8, 2018 – The Utah 1033 Foundation presented seven Utah students from across the state, all children of law enforcement officers, with $2,500 each in Leadership Awards on May 1, 2018 at an event honoring both the individual students and Utah’s fallen law enforcement officers.
High school students from around the state applied for the 2018 Leadership Awards by submitting a one-page essay in response to a choice of prompts related to issues affecting today’s youth: suicide prevention, social bullying, and the opioid crisis. The winning students were selected on the basis of their essays and for their demonstrated academic achievement and rigor.
Zions Bank hosted the annual presentation of the Leadership Award program by The Utah 1033 Foundation on May 1, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. at the Zions Bank Founders Room in Salt Lake City.
Each Award bears the name of one of the seven officers killed in the line of duty since the foundation’s creation in 2011: Ogden City Master Police Officer Jared Francom, Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Aaron Beesley, Draper City Police Sgt. Derek Johnson, Utah County Sheriff’s Sgt. Cory Wride, Unified Police Officer Doug Barney, West Valley Officer Cody Brotherson and Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Eric Ellsworth.
“The Utah 1033 Foundation is very proud of this year’s recipients,” said Utah 1033 Foundation president Dave Kaufman. “I was impressed not only by the quality of their work, but also the themes of bravery and kindness which permeated their essays and their spoken remarks at the ceremony. These young leaders will go on to do great things, and we look forward to staying in touch with each of them.
“We’d also like to express our gratitude to Zions Bank for hosting the ceremony again this year,” Kaufman said, “and to Motorola Solutions Foundation, who sponsored two of this year’s Awards, and The Marina at Rockport, who sponsored another Award in its entirety plus a little extra. The Utah 1033 Foundation relies on such contributions to deliver its programs, and we’re deeply grateful to our sponsors for their generosity.”
Committee members, through a blind screening process, selected the following seven recipients:
Mallory Blue, recipient of the Eric Ellsworth Leadership Award
“For teens, life can be difficult,” Ms. Blue wrote in her essay. “Stresses and pressures surround them. But through positive mentorships, the increase in normalizing communication about mental health, and the understanding of long-term goals, the epidemic of teen suicides and completions will decrease and may we live to see the day where no one will ever have to lose a friend, a child, or a student to suicide.”
Connor Dale Brophy, recipient of the Cody Brotherson Leadership Award
“The most difficult component of suicide is that the key contributing factors differ from one individual to another,” Mr. Brophy wrote in his essay. “[Some suffer] from depression, financial instability, and substance abuse. Others may experience something entirely different; mental disorder, hopelessness, cultural/religious beliefs, bullying, etc. No matter the reason, suicide is preventable.”
Mallory Adamson, recipient of the Douglas Barney Leadership Award
“The more we ignore [suicide] risk and don’t talk face to face on these issues in and out of schools, the longer we perpetuate the problem,” Ms. Adamson wrote in her essay. “Leaders in schools, both administrators and students, need to step up to raise awareness of both the mental health and societal problem of suicide. Just one thing could save a life.”
Annie Markland, recipient of the Cory Wride Leadership Award
“Now that we have social media readily at our disposal, the true beauty and uniqueness of people is masked and forgotten,” Ms. Markland wrote in her essay. “Normal decorum and social grace can be lost because of online anonymity. The best way to stop this trend is for youth leaders to teach and emphasize, by noticeable examples, the importance of caring for and about their peers, especially those who may feel down trodden or who are already victims of bullying.”
Alexis Rossetti, recipient of the Derek Johnson Leadership Award
“Suicide seems to be a taboo subject and something that people avoid talking about, which is counterproductive to preventing it,” Ms. Rossetti wrote in her essay. “Addressing and educating the community on how to approach it, the warning signs, and how to help others, is critical. By educating people, particularly young adults where suicide is the second leading cause of death, we could help the issue significantly.”
Ethan Guymon, recipient of the Aaron Beesley Leadership Award
“It doesn’t take a lot to make a big difference,” Mr. Guymon wrote in his essay. “I am a firm believer in this because of all of the people that are struggling with different things, such as Physical bullying, Cyber bullying, Verbal bullying. I have learned that the best way to get rid of bullying is to show others that being kind is the conquering power.”
Bailey Jensen, recipient of the Jared Francom Leadership Award
“Synthetic opioid abuse is no respecter of persons, race, gender, age, economic class or profession,” Ms. Jensen wrote in her essay. “We cannot arrest, legislate or jail our way out of this issue. Prevention must be first, relying only on the criminal justice system for the declining number of users after the prevention campaign. There will be a cost to society either way, building more prisons and staffing them, or spending money to seriously and consistently educate people to the dangers of opioids.”
(l to r): Annie Markland — Cory Wride Leadership Award; Alexis Rossetti — Derek Johnson Leadership Award; Connor Brophy — Cody Brotherson Leadership Award; Bailey Jensen — Jared Francom Leadership Award; Ethan Guymon — Aaron Beesley Leadership Award; Mallory Blue — Eric Ellsworth Leadership Award; Mallory Adamson — Douglas Barney Leadership Award