AVÌìÌÃÍø

Dominic Marchall ’26, a criminal justice major at the AVÌìÌÃÍø, with a minor in political science, recently attended the annual Pathways to Success conference at the Connecticut Convention Center. The event brought together leaders, advocates, students, and community members to explore this year’s theme: “Looking at Children Through Different Lenses.â€�

In the reflection below, Dominic shares his perspective on the day’s most powerful moments, including moving speeches, community-driven performances, and the key themes of justice, reform, and resilience that emerged throughout the conference.

I am currently a senior here at the AVÌìÌÃÍø, and am on track to graduate this coming Winter. I recently had the opportunity to attend the Tow Youth Justice Institute’s Pathways to Success conference at the Connecticut Convention Center. I would like to begin this blog with some of the standout experiences that really had an impact on me, and then move onto more broad themes and takeaways about the conference and the work of the institute.

The first event of the day that really had an impact on me was the presentation of the trailblazer award. I am originally from Massachusetts, so I am not very familiar with local and state representatives within Connecticut. So, when took the podium to present the award, it was my first time seeing or hearing him in-person. Hearing Rep. Paris speak sparked a new interest in local and state politics for me. He was a powerful speaker who not only captured the theme of the day, but he also spoke with genuine admiration for the Trailblazer Award recipient: .

Rep. Exum brought the room together with her stories of resilience and of overcoming hardships while continuing to serve her community. This really moved me, hearing her speak about her job, what it means to her, and how hard she is working, and I am absolutely positive that every other person in the room felt the same way.

The second thing that stood out was the speech by keynote speaker . He spoke about his struggles during his youth, and how he came to be a publisher of the Marshall Project Inside, a publication that provides criminal justice news to those inside prisons and jails. He spoke of how he served 27 years in prison, the effect this had on him, and how he is working hard today publishing criminal justice news with accurate reporting through multimedia storytelling. His speech was deeply emotional. It spoke to not only the struggles of incarcerated individuals, but also the circumstances before incarceration, and how people sometimes find themselves living lives that are thrust onto them by forces out of their control.

Lastly, a standout event was the performance, which closed out the event. I was able to speak with the founders of the movement before the performance, and they told me their goals and ambitions, and it was amazing to hear such passion and initiative. They seek to raise money for the homeless and to build community through their love of Hip-Hop. They were not only great people, but fantastic performers.

Overall, I had a very informative and engaging day at the conference. One theme that occurred throughout was looking at things through a different perspective, which is so important when it comes to youth justice. It enables us to look at the impact that our justice system has on youth, and what causes the problems we are seeing today.

Another theme, which was present during every speech, was the question of why things are being done a certain way. Lastly, a there was a spotlight on community. I saw a conference center full of people who have a passion and a drive for positive changes in youth justice, which was truly amazing to see. I am extremely excited for next year's conference, and I can't wait to see the work the institute and all those who attended do in the time between events.