Skip to main content

Commencement 2020: SLCCSA President Reflects, Looks Forward


Mason Bancroft is a first-generation college student. He comes from a low-income family. Grit. Fire. Passion. They are characteristics he has leaned on to get back up when knocked down.

 

Family. Friends. Mentors. Teachers. They are the ones who, through empathy and caring, have helped Mason when the path was cluttered with obstacles. And he credits them now with helping him reach his first of many post-secondary educational goals.

 

Mason is graduating from Salt Lake Community College with an associate’s degree in psychology. He’s transferring to the University of Utah this fall to pursue a bachelor’s degree, and then it’s onward toward double PhD degrees in clinical mental health counseling and sports psychology. Drive. Determination. Ambition. Also, words that describe Mason.

 

On June 26, SLCC graduates, staff, faculty and thousands who would have otherwise filled the Maverik Center in early May for the college’s traditional commencement ceremony will instead go online to hear Mason speak as the outgoing SLCC Student Association president. It’s a moment that will solidify an enduring bond as an SLCC alum for Mason, but also an opportunity to encourage fellow graduates and inspire the next generation of college students.



Mason’s speech is written. He put a lot into it. Here’s a taste. “Never forget those you have helped and those who have helped you. Take the time to share that appreciation with those individuals today. And create a culture of empathy, trust and belongingness. By doing so, you will build a fire inside of you that no one can put out.”

 

As SLCCSA president this past year, Mason walked the walk. His positive energy and ability to bring people together punctuated campus events he worked on and helped preserve a threatened social network off campus as he guided struggling students through the challenges of a pandemic that forced everyone inside and away from each other. Distant but not alone. It’s what he tried to convey to his fellow students from his makeshift office in the basement of his parents’ home in West Valley City, where he completed his final spring semester at SLCC. A desk and folding chair in the corner, surrounded by a bunch of moving boxes – it’s not how Mason envisioned finishing his time at SLCC. Knocked down, yes – but not out.

 

“Even though we are isolated from each other, we must understand that we must remain united and help those in need,” Mason said in April, when the pandemic was raging. “In order to get through this stronger, we must find unity within our community. Show and spread empathy.”

 

This year’s SLCC commencement will unite a virtual community in a ceremony unlike any other in the college’s history. You will hear and see Mason speak. SLCC President Deneece G. Huftalin will offer congratulatory words. The event will have many of the traditional commencement features – and a few surprises. Separate, but not apart. Family. Friends. Teachers. Mentors. They will be there – online. We hope you will be too!

 

For more information about SLCC’s June 26 online commencement, click here.



Comments

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