A group of 10 assembled for a pair of graduation ceremonies at the Wasatch County Jail Monday. In the jail’s library — which doubles as a classroom once a week — two students took turns wearing a white cap and gown and receiving their diplomas.
The separate ceremonies are to allow each graduate’s family to participate while keeping inmate identities private.
Vanessa teared up seeing her mother, sister and niece in the audience. It was the first time they’d seen each other in over a year and a half. KPCW is not using the family’s last name to protect their privacy.
Like many inmates, Vanessa ended up in jail because of drugs. She grew up in California, the daughter of two immigrant parents. In an essay about her life that she shared with KPCW, Vanessa said her parents tried to give her and her siblings a good life.
But her family situation made it tough. Vanessa said her dad was violent and became addicted to opioids after a work accident.
Her mother moved the family back and forth to Chicago to get away from things for a while. Eventually, Vanessa said her mom and younger sister left for good.
That, she wrote, is when her story took a real turn.
By 12 years old, she said she had to align herself with a gang. She also started smoking marijuana and stopped going to school. Soon after, Vanessa said she was pressured into smoking meth for the first time. At 16, she was arrested, but kept getting deeper into the gang and drugs.
Her essay then details a decade-long cycle of addiction, gang violence, and prison and jail stays.
Now almost 30, Vanessa said she recognizes she was on the wrong path — but her story isn’t over yet. Getting her high school diploma was the first step.
Gary Turner started volunteering at the jail five years ago as a math and science teacher. Before that, he taught at Wasatch High School for 40 years.
He said the inmates are similar to his high school students: they’re young people trying to prepare themselves to do good things.
“The inmates who come to school are good people who know they made a mistake and are fixing things and paying the price, and getting their education is part of it,” he said.
He said many inmates, including Vanessa, arrive with low self-esteem, but being able to attend school helps them move forward.
“When they come here and they learn they can do it, and they learn to succeed, and you see their self-esteem go up and their self-respect go up. It's just a wonderful feeling,” he said.
Kathy Carr has been teaching at the jail for a year. She said Vanessa was an especially astute student who helped translate for her peers who only spoke Spanish. She also breezed through state curriculum packets.
Carr teared up as she presented Vanessa her diploma. The honor is especially exciting as Vanessa will be released soon.
“There's a lot of hope for the future that we can do hard things, that we can overcome those mistakes that we've made, and that we can change our lives for the better,” Carr said.
Vanessa will enter a rehab program for a few months after she leaves the jail. She then has plans to start work.
Carr said Vanessa is among six students who graduated during the 2025-2026 school year. Around 20 students participate annually.
