Cara Cerise [pic] has been named the 2011 Utah Young Humanitarian. Growing up with a gay dad sparked the 20-year old’s interest in human rights. Cerise and her younger sister were raised by him after a divorce. Cara was 4 years old at the time. “From a really young age, I realized that my family is different and sometimes I get treated differently because of that. … My activism stems from not wanting anyone else to experience that,” Cerise said. “I felt like I was the only person in the world with a gay parent.” The $5,000 college scholarship is the largest service-based award in the state. Cara is a sophomore at Westminster College. Her humanitarian work includes leading her high school social-justice club, helping impoverished HIV-positive teens in Brazil and creating an advocacy group for Utah children of gay parents.

[via The Salt Lake Tribune]