The fifth time was the charm for Diana Weber’s college education. But it wasn’t just the number of attempts to obtain a degree that was advantageous — it was the right time and the right place.
Diana, who graduated in 2020, grew up in an Air Force family who moved a lot. She left home at 16 but finished high school while working full time to support herself.
“This was before the age of the internet,” she says. “I tried to enroll in college twice, but the systems were complicated, and people were not very interested to hold my hand and show me what to do.”
Diana had a baby in 2000, which she says was her sign from the universe to leave a toxic relationship. While raising her son and working full time, she made a couple more unsuccessful attempts at earning a degree.
“Between the lack of resources and my work, I had to do right by my kid first. My son is now an adult, so the last few years have been about me finally getting through college,” Diana says. “SLCC had a much more convenient process, the tuition was way cheaper, and it had a surgical tech program.”
Surgery videos on YouTube initially piqued Diana’s interest in the field.
“I’m fascinated by what the human body can do,” says Diana, who earned the Ray Liddell Surgical Technology Scholarship while attending SLCC and graduated with a 3.8 GPA. “Clinicals were my favorite because they were hands on and up close. Seeing actual vessels and organs in a living person is pretty amazing.”
Diana now works as a surgical technologist at the University of Utah. She loves the opportunities her job affords and is grateful for the path SLCC paved.
“Not every person comes from the same background or place of privilege,” she says. “Giving students more options to be able to attend college is a benefit I found with SLCC.”
To help students like Diana, please visit our list of scholarships to see which award best aligns with your interests.
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