Undergraduate Atosha Rypa uses spoken word to bring awareness to social issues, tell her story, and inspire others. Her words aim to educate people about the American Black experience and the power that language has to perpetuate discrimination. Rypa’s words heal her own past and provide motivation for future change.

Chilean attorney and nonprofit organization founder Isabel Arriagada uses her unique combination of knowledge to approach penal research with a fresh perspective. “There is much more to the prison system than just ‘right’ and ‘wrong,’” explains PhD student Arriagada.

Associate professor Joshua Page seeks to understand the complex factors obstructing changes in the criminal justice system. “Understanding is the first step towards generating a will to change,” says Page.

Ambitious from the start, Marianne Zarzar moved to the US as a sophomore in high school to achieve academic success. “My parents told me if I could make it happen, I could go. So I did.” Here at the U, Zarzar is using her experience as an international student to shape her interest in law, deviance, and criminology, and her ambitions to enact political change.