Ligonier Valley grad gets juvenile justice scholarship

Angel Scritchfield might be done with the juvenile court system, but the lessons she learned are going to stick with her.

“It just kind of helped me figure out how to make my life better as a whole,” she said.

That attitude and Scritchfield’s strides in life won her a $1,500 statewide scholarship and the admiration of Westmoreland County Judge Michele Bononi. The 18-year-old Laughlintown woman was awarded the scholarship Wednesday in Harrisburg during the 2017 James E. Anderson Conference on Juvenile Justice.

The scholarship, given to two students each year, recognizes resilience and accomplishment of Pennsylvania youths who go through the juvenile courts. Two years ago, a West Newton man was awarded the same scholarship.

Scritchfield, a 2019 Ligonier Valley graduate, got into trouble about two years ago and landed in Bononi’s courtroom. Through the juvenile court process, Scritchfield said she met with therapists and got a better understanding of herself. She plans to stick with it, even though Bononi closed her case last week.

“It’s not even mandatory now, but I’m going to do it anyway,” she said.

Bononi praised Scritchfield’s progress, intelligence and maturity through the court process.

“She’s turned it around, she’s a really bright girl,” Bononi said.

Scritchfield said she’s attending Westmoreland County Community College taking general education classes for now with a goal of becoming a forensic pathologist. She was thrilled to get the scholarship.

“It helps me out a lot,” she said. “It gives me a lot of motivation to go to school.”

Scritchfield is an example of the good outcomes Bononi said she likes to see from the bench.

“This is the highlight of the job, to watch a kid turn around,” she said.