KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Students across Missouri are preparing to fly to Las Vegas ahead of Super Bowl LVIII. Their trip is made possible by JustUs System Incorporated.
“I wanted to change the community, and I was trying to figure out how to do that,” said Natasha Scruggs, lawyer and JustUs System Incorporated founder/president.
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Scruggs said while working in juvenile courts, she noticed a need for an alternative to the school-to-prison pipeline.
“If we help students never go in and give them resources and opportunities, then everything that happens on the back end of the criminal justice system won’t happen anymore,” Scruggs said.
While in Vegas, more than 30 students will meet with the Raiders' front office, tour a local courtroom and help the NFL on game day — while getting paid.
“I’m excited. I’m nervous,” said William Workcuff, JustUs System Inc. participant and University of Missouri-Kansas City freshman. “We get to network and meet a lot of new people, but I’m also excited to be able to go to the Super Bowl, hopefully see my Chiefs win.”
Workcuff said he plans to practice law after graduation before eventually pursuing politics, which he is double-majoring in.
Vegas will mark his second trip to a Super Bowl with the group.
“They are just invaluable,” he said. “Not only do I get to network with people who are already in the career field I want to go in, but I get to meet other people who could possibly be lifelong friends or lifelong connections — not even just in law, but in general.”
Scruggs plans to continue to expand her nonprofit. She already works with students in Kansas City, St. Louis and Chicago.
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