Official SLCC Blog

  On April 3, Salt Lake Community College will open two new exhibitions at the South City Campus that platform voices, tell stories, and foster empathy for individuals experiencing incarceration or homelessness. According to curator James Walton, “these exhibits give our community a glimpse into the lives of people who are consistently overlooked, avoided, and undervalued.” Freedom of Expression: Artists Incarcerated The first exhibit is “Freedom of Expression: Artists Incarcerated.” This exhibit features three mural-sized paintings created by young, incarcerated artists in collaboration with local muralists. The paintings were produced in a series of 10 workshops led by local artists, in which youth experiencing incarceration expressed themselves creatively, learned artistic skills, and practiced collaboration to achieve a mutual goal. The project was organized by Walton and SLCC criminal justice professor Dr. Anthony Nocella. The workshops were led by these local muralists: Walto...

  Salt Lake Community College’s prestigious Distinguished Alumni Award honors SLCC graduates and former students for professional excellence and exemplary service to their communities in their chosen professional or academic fields. It’s the highest award the college bestows upon alumni. Traditionally, one female alumna and one male alumnus are selected as honorees each year.       Dawn R. Ramsey   AS Degree, General Studies, 2017   Mayor, City of South Jordan   Dawn Ramsey experienced SLCC at two very different points in her life. The first time, she was just a few years out of high school, and later, after raising six children, she returned to the College as a nontraditional student. “I chose to take a break from my education that unexpectedly lasted 20 years,” says Dawn. “I cannot imagine there ever was a nontraditional student as excited as I was to be back in school.”    As she began attending SLCC for a second time, Dawn recalls the de...

  Salt Lake Community College’s prestigious  Distinguished Alumni Award  honors SLCC graduates and former students for professional excellence and exemplary service to their communities in their chosen professional or academic fields. It’s the highest award the college bestows upon alumni. Traditionally, one female alumna and one male alumnus are selected as honorees each year.         Daniel Barney Stirland, M.Ed.     General Studies    Principal, Kearns High School          Danny Stirland has been a part of the Kearns High School’s community for 25 years, first as a student, then as a basketball coach, then as a history teacher, and now as the school’s principal. He has also worked for the Granite District as a School Leadership Director, where he supervised high school and junior high school principals.      “I’m just lucky and blessed to be here; there’s something special about being where you grew up,” says...

  Social Good Software founder and SLCC alumnus Rick Hernandez (left) with Jon Beutler, Director of the Mill Entrepreneurship Center at Salt Lake Community College.   Rick Hernandez, Founder and CEO of Social Good Software, recently won the highly competitive Morgan Stanley Inclusive & Sustainable Ventures Lab pitch competition, securing $250,000 in exchange for 5% equity—valuing his company at an impressive $5 million. This win not only provides funding to accelerate growth but also positions Morgan Stanley as an investor, significantly increasing the company’s future acquisition potential. Hernandez was one of over 7,000 applicants nationwide—including 250+ from Utah—competing for a place in Morgan Stanley’s six-week, in-house accelerator program in New York. Hernandez was one of two winners selected from Utah. The program offers entrepreneurs of technology-driven startups access to capital, mentorship, and an exclusive network of investors poised to scale high-gro...

  SLCC students meet New York Times bestselling author who once walked the same halls as you. Alumnus and author, Marc J. Gregson will be reading from his debut novel, Sky's End , followed by a Q&A session and book signing. Are you curious about what it takes to get a book published? A sci-fi, fantasy fan? Or just want to find out what happened at SLCC that motivated him to keep on writing? All are welcome.    Details: Thursday, March 27, 4 p.m. on SLCC’s Taylorsville Redwood Campus. Academic and Advancement Building (AAB), rm. 135. Q: Can you tell us a bit about your journey to becoming a bestselling author? A: Writing and publishing a book was the toughest thing I ever tried to do. It took years, but I kept getting better. My first book was terrible. Sky's End was the sixth book I wrote and the first to get published. It was discouraging and frustrating at times. You have to remember, that book publishing is also a business, and sometimes it comes down to writin...

  (Left to right) Casey Dawson, Emery Lehman & Ethan Cepuran [photo credit: US Speedskating] . Three of SLCC’s student-athletes on the US Speedskating (USS) team made the most of their spring break last week, competing and medaling in the World Speedskating Championships in Norway, March 13-16. The event included the short and long track competitions on the world stage.   SLCC students Austin Kleba and Cooper McLeod took third place on the Men’s Team Sprint (1:19.23) with teammate Zach Stoppelmoor. For all three, it was their first time winning a World Championship medal. McLeod won another medal, third place, and his first individual World Champs medal in the 500m.  The Team Sprint is a three-lap sprint, and once one lap is completed the front skater pulls off until the third and final skater crosses the line. This event is not an Olympic event but has been on the World Cup and World Championships circuits for a few years.   Casey Dawson (former SLCC student) an...

Salt Lake Community College’s 2025 Commencement speaker Branigan Knowlton will share his perspectives drawn from a 12-year career as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State. In serving his country, Knowlton has honed his foreign relations and diplomacy skills in Hong Kong, Mexico, Colombia and Italy. Knowlton is also a proud Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) alumnus (2002).     Knowlton currently serves at the U.S. Embassy in Rome. Before reporting to the embassy, he was detailed to the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport as part of the Transatlantic Diplomatic Fellowship program. In Bogotá, Knowlton worked for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement, and in Hermosillo, Mexico, he worked for the Bureau of Consular Affairs. His first assignment abroad was in Hong Kong, where he worked for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs.     "I've actively sought opportunities that push me into the unfamiliar, even when ...

  On March 6, Salt Lake Community College hosted the formal unveiling of the Utah Women Mural, a 1,000-square-foot collage featuring hundreds of women (and a few animals) from the Beehive State. The new mural is adapted from a 2020 mural commemorating the 100-year anniversary of women’s suffrage and the 150-year anniversary of the first woman to cast a ballot in Utah. Both are testaments to community and to the remarkable legacy of Utah women throughout history.     In remarks at the event, former SLCC President Deneece Huftalin highlighted that wide range of backgrounds, noting the inclusion of such disparate political figures as Republican Olene Walker, the state’s first female governor, and Heidi Redd, the cowgirl and conservationist from Dugout Ranch who often serves as the ecological conscience of Southern Utah. Huftalin was also one of the women present at the event wearing an “I’m in the mural” sticker.   Other attendees featured in the mural included Holly Yocom, ...