Scholarship awardees Shawntell Ashby (l-r), Jonah Burton and Lupita Porras.
In a roomful of stories about triumph and perseverance while earning a college degree, three stood out during the annual Salt Lake Community College Scholarship Luncheon honoring donors and students.
Students Lupita Porras, Jonah Burton and Shawntell Ashby spoke at the SLCC Miller Campus in front of about 300 people, some of whom included donors to the college’s 135 privately funded scholarships. They thanked donors, who have helped 472 students just in the 2019-20 academic year alone.
Jonah Burton
Burton, who struggled in high school and did not think he could afford college, said donors to his full-tuition scholarship allow him to fulfill his dreams by being able to pursue an education toward a career as an emergency medical technician. “To every donor joining us today, thank you,” he said. “You make a difference with each dollar you give. It means the world to have someone you don’t even know believe in you and help you go to college.”
The SLCC Foundation has spent over $1 million in donated funds on scholarships at this point in its fiscal year, up over the $676,032 it spent at the same time last year. Competition for scholarship dollars among students has also increased, with 12,000 students applying for funds for the Fall 2020 semester.
“One of the programs we are able to provide is SLCC Promise,” SLCC President Dr. Deneece G. Huftalin told donors. “We are proud that since 2013, we have awarded $3 million in Promise scholarships. … Your generosity allows us to truly eliminate many of the financial barriers that come with higher education.”
Lupita Porras
Lupita Porras started at SLCC in 2016 and sold homemade candy, baked goods and even chickens and eggs to help pay for college one class at a time. “I didn’t know the first thing about college, but I began the journey with hope that I would succeed,” she said. “I am this close to graduating next semester, and after that I am heading to the University of Utah to continue studying writing and rhetoric. None of that would be possible without your generosity. … Please know that your generosity is helping not just one student, but also my whole family.”
Because there have been more donations, SLCC is able to offer 25 scholarships for the upcoming summer semester instead of the usual five. But with so many more SLCC students needing help to finish their degrees and certificates, the college’s Development Office is increasing its current fundraising efforts toward a goal of $10 million.
Shawntell Ashby
Shawntell Ashby is following in the footsteps of her mother, Kristy Ashby, an SLCC alumna, and someday wants to be an occupational therapy assistant. Mom also earned several scholarships. “I had been saving money for as long as I can remember, but I knew I wasn’t going to have enough to pay for my education,” Ashby said. She and her mother cried on the phone when she found out she earned a scholarship. “I remember the tears streaming down my face as I whispered into the phone, my voice full of shock, ‘Mom, do you know what this means? I can go to school now.’”
If you are interested in more information about donating toward scholarship funds at SLCC, click here or call 801-957-4658.
More highlights from the 2020 Scholarship Luncheon:
ABC 4 host Emily Clark emceed the event.
Students and donors below:
