Skip to main content

Student Overcomes Obstacles, Thrives at SLCC


In 2009, at only 16 years old, Lina Nguyen was involved in a serious car accident. Her neck was broken in three different places, and she was paralyzed from the chest down. Lina’s life was changed forever.

To say the accident was devastating doesn’t even begin to tell the full story. Lina had to learn how to do everything all over again – talk, eat, even breathe. She had many moments in that first year where she didn’t think she would be able to continue. She remembers thinking, “I can’t survive this.” However, with hard work and a strong will, Lina not only survived but was able to graduate with her high school class, on time, in 2011.

Lina didn’t think college was an option for someone with her health issues. “I was lost for years,” Lina recalls. She began to build her confidence by sharing her story, as well as meeting new people who would become her friends.

Lina’s friends encouraged her to start at Salt Lake Community College, which she did in 2014. After initially struggling with taking on too much, she found a sustainable course load of two or three classes per semester. SLCC’s Disability Resource Center has helped her by providing access to note takers, testing assistants and a special voice-responsive computer. She also joined the Student Life and Leadership committee and is the club liaison.

Lina is working toward graduating with her associate’s degree. Her goal is to go to the University of Utah and major in communications with a focus on public speaking. Ultimately, she wants to be a disability advocate so she can help other people understand they can overcome immense hardships, just as she has.

“I have done more than I ever thought I could,” Lina says. “I’m grateful that I have learned to deal with the challenges in my life.”


Those interested in contributing monetary gifts to SLCC, which could be directed to the DRC, are encouraged to click here for more information.

Popular posts from this blog

SLCC's Undergraduate Annual Research Conference Registration Deadline

Salt Lake Community College’s annual Undergraduate Projects, Performances, Presentations, and Research Conference (UP3RC) is set to take place on April 2, at the Taylorsville Redwood Campus, offering students a chance to showcase their academic achievements, fostering a culture of intellectual exchange.  The UP3RC is an annual event designed to celebrate and highlight the academic accomplishments of undergraduate students. It provides a supportive environment for students to share their work, hone their presentations skills, receive constructive feedback, and engage in meaningful discussions with their peers and faculty. All SLCC departments and programs, including faculty and staff, are encouraged to support and visit the day of the event. Students with their poster from last year's UPRC event “The goal of this event is to make sure every school and student is given the opportunity to participate,” says Dr. Kamal Bewar, interim director of the STEM Learning Center, who is chairin

SLCC Business School is Utah’s First to be Named Exclusively After a Woman

Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) proudly announces a partnership with the Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation to modernize its Business Building and transform its School of Business. The improvements are made possible through a generous $10 million gift from the Miller Family Foundation and Gail Miller, the largest-ever single cash donation received by the college.  SLCC is renaming its Business Building the Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Business Building in honor of the Miller family’s legacy and contributions to the community. The business school will be named the Gail Miller School of Business in recognition of the strong business acumen Gail Miller displays as a community leader and as the owner and immediate past chair of the Larry H. Miller Company. This name change will make SLCC home to the only business school in Utah and one of only a few in the country to be named exclusively after a woman.  “We are deeply humbled by the generosity of Gail and the Miller fam

You’re Invited to A Party! Open House Kicks off New Herriman Campus

  Complimentary food truck fare, live music, and family activities spotlight new campus.   There’s something for everyone at the upcoming Herriman Campus Community Open House on Friday, August 4 (3:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.). See schedule below.   The public is invited to celebrate the opening of this new campus with festivities that include free local food truck fare, live music, and a Mocktail Mixer, where you can mingle with others, including Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) and University of Utah (U of U) faculty.   Families with kids can engage in face painting and a craft station, see the Super Mario Brothers movie, and high-five mascots Brutus, Swoop and Yeti.   This is an opportunity to have some summer fun for all ages and to check out the Juniper building on the new 88-acre SLCC Herriman campus.    At the open house, prospective students and their families can meet SLCC and U of U faculty and staff, take a tour the building, or even check out the Application & Transfer Lab a