Utah’s first Latino federal judge to come to Utah State

UPDATE: This event has been canceled.

In celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month this October, the Utah State University Latinx Student Union has invited Samuel Alba, the first Latino federal judge in Utah and a USU alumnus, to speak to students about his experiences as a student and judge.

Alba’s parents migrated to the U.S. from Mexico and worked as farm workers, Alba said. He then grew up to study political science at USU and graduate with his bachelor’s in 1969 before attending law school at Arizona State. Alba was called to be a federal magistrate judge for the U.S. District Court for Utah in 1992, the first Latino federal judge to hold the position. He was chief magistrate judge from 2003 and 2008 and currently works in law.

“I was at USU in 1965 and there were not many students of color at the university at the time,” Alba said. “I was the first in my family to go to college, so it was new and scary. But now all my surviving siblings and I have a college degree.”

Alba plans to speak about his life story as a member of a migrant family working on a farm and why education is so important to him. He said he also wants to talk about certain people who “were instrumental in allowing me to achieve what I am.”

“I’m always interested in making sure people of color know there are opportunities out there for them and know that they should take advantage of those opportunities,” Alba said.

Josh Johnson, the diversity vice president for the Utah State University Student Association, said he believes having Alba here is a great opportunity for students.

“He has so much knowledge and experience to share with us that it’s not only a compliment to the university to have him come, but it’s also an opportunity for our students, especially our Latinx students, to see who they can become and to have that inspiration,” Johnson said. “Just having him here at our university speaks volumes to the potential we have for more Latinx alumni coming back and participating with us.”

Alba will be speaking on Wednesday at 5 p.m. in the International Lounge of the Taggart Student Center building, on Utah State’s campus.

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@naomiyokoward