S.J. QUINNEY COLLEGE OF LAW — Jesus Salazar was casually considering law school as an option — but when his family and friends faced incidents of discrimination based on their race, it solidified his decision. “At first it made me really angry,” Salazar said. “But as time went on, that anger turned into a desire to protect and help people who didn’t have the resources to protect themselves.” Those incidents are what pushed Salazar to apply to the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law. Salazar is currently thriving in his first year as a law student. With an undergraduate degree in applied mathematics and a minor in physics, his background might seem a little unusual for a future lawyer, but Salazar believes his degrees and work background have been a huge benefit. “In math and physics, you’re purely problem solving,” he said. “And honestly, a lot of law school is problem solving, like being able to spot issues and find a solution to those issues. I think that my STEM background gave me a different way of thinking and finding creative solutions.”