Leader in Higher Education Will Deliver Salt Lake Community College’s 2022 Commencement Address

Samuel Ortiz.

Mentor and higher education leader, Samuel Ortiz will give the keynote address at Salt Lake Community College’s (SLCC) 2022 Commencement Ceremony, scheduled for May 6 at the Maverik Center in West Valley City.

Ortiz will inspire graduates by detailing his own story on how he uses his education to lift up those around him and to change society for the better. He will emphasize the importance of challenging inequities, promoting justice, taking a deeper interest in those around you, and caring for your mental and physical wellbeing so you can better serve others.

As the son of immigrants who struggled financially, Ortiz had no roadmap or even an understanding of how college might work or look for him, but he was determined.

My dad dropped me off for my first day of class at SLCC and told me that I was getting this degree not just for me but for our entire family.

What started out as “feeling completely out of my element and very unsure of myself” turned into a thriving experience, thanks to a few key influences and impressions along the way.

He credits his very first instructor at SLCC for setting him up for a successful college experience. “The instructor was patient, attentive and consistently gave me positive feedback and encouragement,” he said. “She instilled a belief in me that not only was I capable, but that I truly had what I needed to succeed. Her kindness has stayed with me and became a defining moment in my academic journey.”

Ortiz went on to earn an associate’s degree in sociology at SLCC (2012) and then transferred to the University of Utah where he earned a bachelor’s degree in social work. He received his master’s degree in higher and postsecondary education administration at Columbia University.

Currently, Ortiz is a doctoral student in educational leadership at the University of Dayton and also serves as its Associate Director of Campus and Community Engagement.

Originally from Bronx, New York, Ortiz moved to Utah while in high school. He has devoted much of his life since 2009 to serving others. He spent five years mentoring youth in refugee communities through the non-profit organization Good in the Hood, and he worked as a Community Director at Brown University. While at Brown, Ortiz managed a housing complex for first-year college students and created a residential curriculum designed to foster learning and promote student safety and emotional well-being.

At the University of Dayton, his job is focused on multi-cultural affairs, diversity and inclusion. In his role, Ortiz emphasizes relationship building using restorative practices that consider existing inequities in school and society as well as students’ academic and emotional growth. He is also responsible for the university’s large-scale programming related to diversity, cultural celebrations and peer mentoring for underrepresented students.

“Sam’s journey through college and beyond is a triumph and testament to hope and courage,” says Dr. Deneece G. Huftalin, president of SLCC. “From thinking he wasn’t ‘college material’ to succeeding as a student, leader and young professional, Sam‘s story will remind our graduates what is truly possible when they lean into life!”