Skip to main content

Refugees ask Utah Governor for continued support on SLCC campus

Utah Governor Gary Herbert and First Lady Jeanette Herbert on Tuesday visited Salt Lake Community College’s Meadowbrook Campus, which is home to the Utah Refugee Education and Training Center and where they heard about what the center has done for refugees so far. Many refugees told Herbert that the center is like a second home, that it connects them with employers, has resources to help them learn English, and provides a place to gain the skills and education they need to get jobs and pursue a better life.

Utah Governor Gary Herbert and First Lady Jeanette pose for a group shot.

“Your stories are impressive,” Herbert told refugees at the center. “We follow what’s taking place here, and on behalf of the three million people of Utah, we want you to know that you’re welcome. We’re honored to have you here. We’re glad you somehow have chosen Utah as your home.”

Utah is home to an estimated 60,000 refugees from around the world. Many seek help with assimilating into the Utah job market and culture through the center, which represents a partnership between higher education, the private sector and state government, including the Utah Department of Workforce Services.

Utah Governor Gary Herbert listens to refugees' stories.

Refugee and SLCC student Zakiya Ali called the center “home,” where there are people who can help in a variety of ways. “You have people to help you understand life here,” she said. “The culture and society is different.” Refugees, she added, can use translators at the center to help them feel more “comfortable and confident” so that they’ll take a “chance” to get a job and “become part of society.”

Community activist Pamela Atkinson reminded Herbert about his first inauguration speech when he spoke of the importance of public and private partnerships. She called the success of the center the “epitome” of that kind of partnership. “I would like to say how enormously proud we are of you,” she told refugees. “You have enriched our lives. You have shared your culture with us, and we have learned so much from you. And we are glad in some small way to pay back a little of what you have given us under the leadership of Governor Herbert, whose heart is great. And he asks how are refugees are doing—more than once a year.”

SLCC student and refugee Zakiya Ali talks to Governor Gary Herbert.

As the governor and his wife toured parts of the SLCC campus and refugee center, they learned about the resources available to refugees. SLCC President Deneece G. Huftalin talked briefly about programs at the campus like composites, warehousing and aerospace that are available for refugees.


Herbert remarked that the center is a place for refugees to gather, learn and improve their lives. “It’s the helping hand up, not just a helping hand,” he said. “The work ethic you bring is certainly welcome here in Utah. We want to help you help yourself. We promise you here in Utah that you will have opportunities. We’re just honored here to have you as part of Utah. You add a significant blessing to our community with your presence. We will come back more than once a year.”

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

SLCC Automotive Repairs

Click to enlarge. Attention: SLCC Students, staff and faculty! Many SLCC automotive programs need vehicles to work on in these areas: 30 point inspections Oil changes Tire rotation Engine repair Brake systems repair Automatic and transmission repairs Air conditioning repair Electrical troubleshooting & repair Suspension & steering system repair Auto-body repair and painting (on a very limited basis) Please be advised that any repairs are done at the discretion of the instructors due to the subject areas they are teaching.  Because we are using your vehicles for training purposes, we offer members of the College discounts on parts and labor. Parts are at our cost plus 15% and the service fee is $20 per hour based on industry time standards (if the industry assigns an hour for a repair, that's all you're charged for, regardless of how much time it takes the student). We can also offer these services to non-college personnel on a limited basis with...

SLCC All Access

Did you know you can access SLCC lab software for free from your own computing device?   Come learn how SLCC is supporting BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) with All Access. The goal of All Access is to provide any time, any place, and any device access to college computing and lab software SLCC students, faculty and staff.  All Access works on almost any device from a PC or Mac, to tablets and smart phones.  With All Access you can use programs like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, AutoCAD, MatLab, Mathematica, MyITLab, NetBeans, and online Library Databases.  We also provide you with online storage space so you can save your files in the cloud and have access to them wherever you are.  Anyone is welcome to this session where we will cover the basics of All Access, give you some tips and tricks for getting the most out the system, and we’ll also have some people there to help get your computer set up.  When and where: ...

SLCC Alumnus and U.S. Diplomat to Speak at 2025 Commencement

Salt Lake Community College’s 2025 Commencement speaker Branigan Knowlton will share his perspectives drawn from a 12-year career as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State. In serving his country, Knowlton has honed his foreign relations and diplomacy skills in Hong Kong, Mexico, Colombia and Italy. Knowlton is also a proud Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) alumnus (2002).     Knowlton currently serves at the U.S. Embassy in Rome. Before reporting to the embassy, he was detailed to the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport as part of the Transatlantic Diplomatic Fellowship program. In Bogotá, Knowlton worked for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement, and in Hermosillo, Mexico, he worked for the Bureau of Consular Affairs. His first assignment abroad was in Hong Kong, where he worked for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs.     "I've actively sought opportunities that push me into the unfamiliar, even when ...