My Community College

" My Community College offered me tremendous opportunities for growth in our world."

How did your college experience impact your life? I learned valuable lessons that have helped me throughout my career. However, my education didn’t always come from the classroom.

Photo: Prior to the SLCC Commencement 2011 at the Maverick Center

Fifteen years ago, I had the privilege to be a student at the University of Utah as well as Salt Lake Community College (SLCC). A bulk of my experience was at SLCC for which I take great pride. My most valuable memories were the extracurricular activities associated with leadership and serving the SLCC student body in the after hours.

Before college, as a high school student I enjoyed being involved, organizing school events, and taking on leadership roles. So naturally I applied for the SLCC Freshman Leadership Scholarship with hopes of two things. First, I was hoping to alleviate some of the financial stress associated with attending college. Second, I wanted to continue working with other creative people to learn from them and together improve the lives of those around me.

My freshman year of college was exciting and there were more than 40,000 students attending our community college. I appreciated the rich diversity, unique cultural differences and various religious views shared by the student body.

Photo: Receiving an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Salt Lake Community College and the State of Utah Board of Education Friday, May 5, 2011

I became a member of the college activities board. United, it was our desire to help other folks have a good experience while attending school.

Under the direction of our faculty, we held barbeques on the quad with disc jockeys and live bands, flew in comedians, and enjoyed guest lecturers like Barry “Greg” Williams from the Brady Bunch. Schindler’s List hit theaters and we organized a sobering evening watching the film after which a holocaust survivor told his frightful story.

I left college after one year to serve a mission for my church. Two years later I returned to the SLCC campus to visit friends and faculty mentors. The nostalgia of my previous experience drew me back to that institution where I then chose to pursue my associate of science degree.

Photo: Celebrating with family at the SLCC Presidents dinner held the night before commencement.

Over the next year, I took great pride in working on campus as the Fine Arts Board Chairperson and briefly as the Student Body Public Relations Vice-President where I learned how to develop, organize, market, and manage campus events. In addition, to earn money, I took a part-time job in the student development office visiting high schools and college fairs to encourage other students to go to college.

To this day, I have often found myself applying these principles of leadership to the everyday aspects of my career. I also learned that outside of my career it’s that extra time devoted to my family, church, and other organizations associated with my expertise that truly give me greater purpose, direction, builds self esteem, and provides a wonderful sense of belonging to a community.

Photo: Keynote address was by Morgan Spurlock, made famous for his documentary "Super-Size Me" and "The Greatest Movie Ever Sold"

Because of the countless acts of kindness shown to our family during my heart transplant crisis and my love of SLCC, our family foundation created an endowment and annual scholarship in an effort to help students born with congenital heart disease or another similar disorder.

Often times, people born with life threatening illnesses, do not for see a long life and set aside their educational pursuits. Others can’t afford education because of medical bills. By creating this scholarship it was my hope that these individuals who thought college would never be a possibility, will be empowered, find hope in the future, and purpose in pursuing an education despite their circumstances.

Last year’s recipient of The Paul Cardall Scholarship for Congenital Heart Disorders was Sydney Porter from North Sevier High School. She has devoted time as a volunteer to the Special Olympics and is pursing a business marketing degree.

This year’s 2011-2012 recipient is Barbara Burns, a mother from Kamas, Utah. She is pursuing a career in radiology, is a member of National Honor Society, associated with Hospice, and volunteers for the Boy Scouts of America. Despite her complicated heart defect, Barbara has said, “I expect to graduate school as I continue this journey with great enthusiasm.”

Photo: Enjoying the honor with my wife Lynnette

Last evening, I had a rare privilege to attend the SLCC commencement ceremonies. More than 4000 degrees were awarded to graduates of Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) from the nation’s 3rd ranked best community colleges based on degrees awarded. As an alumnus, I was honored to be among these graduates to receive an honorary doctorate of humane letters.

I am grateful for my association with my community college. I believe SLCC to be one of the finest institutions that has offered me tremendous opportunities for growth in our world.