Official SLCC Blog

  SLCC 2025 Rising Star Alumni Award recipient, Mason Mehr, reflects on his path, thus far.     “It was like “whiplash, in a good way,” said Mason Mehr when he received Salt Lake Community College’s (SLCC) 2025 Rising Star Alumni Award on December 4. It made him stop, step back and really reflect on all he had accomplished and the results of all his hard work and grit. Next fall, Mehr will start law school at Columbia University, a critical step in his career plans to work in social justice spaces and advocate for marginalized voices.     Each year, the SLCC Alumni Leadership Council recognizes an alumni who has made a profound and positive impact in their communities and beyond, and who have graduated from the College within the last seven years.     “I’ve always believed education is a source of power and the more you understand the more you can do,” says Mehr. “Understanding the law and our legal structure will provide me with the tools to make a di...

Brooke Baxter believes every weakness has a hidden strength, and that you just need to figure out the strength. She used this strategy to mine the challenges of a PTSD diagnosis to persist and excel as a student at Salt Lake Community College and then at the University of Utah.   "I used my hypervigilant mind to pay close attention to detail. And I used my constantly racing mind to sustain focus and memorize material,” recalls Brooke, who graduated from SLCC in 2017 with an associate’s degree in General Studies.   SLCC’s Alumni Leadership Council has selected Brooke as the 2024 recipient for the Rising Star Award, which recognizes SLCC alumni who have made a profound and positive impact in their communities and beyond, and who have graduated from the College within the last seven years.     “The College’s commitment to educating the future generation is often rewarded with outstanding individuals who go above and beyond in their respective careers and community invol...

On December 12, Salt Lake Community College unveiled and dedicated a new statue on campus of the renowned inventor, Nikola Tesla. The statue, crafted by local artist Stan Watts and Russian sculptor Andrey Sledkov , is the first of many by the artists that will be placed throughout the United States and Europe, and the only one to be placed at a college institution.  “In celebration of Tesla's vision and influence on today's technology, we thought it was so important that it be right at the entrance of our science, math and engineering building to help our students see what's possible in the world of engineering,” said President Deneece Huftalin during the unveiling.  The new Nikola Tesla statue displayed at the Taylorsville Redwood Campus. Positioned at the west entrance of the Science & Industry (SI) Building at Taylorsville Redwood Campus, the statue greets students as they enter the building with a contemplative Nikola Tesla sitting in a chair and reading a book en...

  SLCC Alum Kirby Saxton's "first day" of school attending AFI Many students are returning to school this week, but for one Salt Lake Community College alumnus, Kirby Saxton, that means taking a giant leap into a renowned master’s program at the American Film Institute (AFI) in Los Angeles, CA. Kirby Saxton, Film AAS '19, was accepted to AFI's exclusive Screenwriting Master of Fine Arts program. This is the fourth SLCC Film student who has gotten into the most prestigious film school in the world, including Julia Freij, Directing Track, and Robert Hunter, Cinematography Track . We asked Kirby a few questions about his time at SLCC, and hope that he doesn’t forget us along the way.  When did you attend SLCC: I took an SLCC class during high school, but I started attending in 2017 and got my degree in 2020. What degree/s did you earn: I received an associate’s degree of applied science as a film production technician. What brought you to SLCC: I went to a filmmaking...

Mary Anne Douglas describes herself as the fixing type—she has an innate drive to jump in and start fixing and problem solving. This drive, and her skills, have propelled her long career from surgical technician to executive leadership. She is currently the executive nurse director for Surgical Operations at Intermountain Health. At 19, as a new graduate from Salt Lake Community College's Surgical Technology program, fixing came in the form of helping people heal. She recalls how miraculous it was to see acute trauma patients heal over a series of surgeries. She witnessed frequent problem solving in the operating room, as surgeons quickly adapted to each patient’s condition.  One of nine children, Mary Anne grew up in a small town in New Mexico and came to Utah to pursue education. When she saw an advertisement for the SLCC’s Surgical Tech program, it was like a lightning-bolt moment—“I knew that’s what I was going to do,” she says. She transferred her credits from BYU and began th...

  Understanding human conditions and people’s vulnerabilities and adaptability is why Jeremy Foster loves his work. This perspective was first nurtured by Ken Freeman, one of Jeremy’s instructors in Salt Lake Community College’s Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) program.  “Ken insisted that in order to connect with patients, you needed to think about what it is like to be them and try to understand what it is they are facing,” says Jeremy, who graduated from SLCC in 1996. “So much of that has really stayed with me.” Jeremy credits his success during his 26-year career to the mentorship he received from his exceptional SLCC instructors. He moved from Price, Utah, where he was working professionally with a physical therapist, to Salt Lake to attend SLCC. “I realized to advance, I had to earn a degree and the only place in Utah to offer a PTA degree was SLCC.”  Today, Jeremy is the Academy of Clinical Electrophysiology and Wound Managements’ physical therapy assistant at la...

Gary Payton II knew the path to becoming a professional athlete was a difficult one and that it was going to take grit to reach his dreams. “You just got to promise yourself that you are going to buy in and take the punches as they come and enjoy the journey—and the journey depends on how much work and effort you put into it,” says Gary.  He chose to attend and play basketball at Salt Lake Community College because it was part of a well-respected conference and offered a chance to get recognized. Gary played for SLCC from 2012 to 2014 before moving on to play at Oregon State University. One of the highlights of his career was winning the NBA championship in 2022 with the Golden State Warriors. “Going to SLCC was just another piece of the journey. I got into a good rhythm and routine and focused on what I had to do,” says Gary.  During his time as a Bruin, he earned multiple awards including being named an NJCAA Second Team All-America player as a sophomore. The support Gary re...

  PRESS RELEASE Tyler Jeppsen has been selected as the winner of Salt Lake Community College's (SLCC) 2023 Rising Star Award. The award recognizes SLCC alumni who have made a profound and positive impact in their communities and beyond, and who have graduated from the college within the last seven years.    The Jeppsen name may sound familiar. He was recognized as the 2021 Best College Student in Utah for his service in the community and academic excellence, and has earned more than 30 state and international business titles through his involvement in the business organization DECA .   Jeppsen’s commitment to learning is what made him stand out. “Not just his own learning but that of others too,” said Kate Rubalcava, a member of the SLCC’s Alumni Leadership Council and chair of the College’s Scholarship and Awards Committee. “It was so inspiring to see that he has been so heavily involved in mentoring others, being an advocate and advancing his own learning. Tyler r...

Former Fulbright Scholar, Oxford Consortium Fellowship recipient, Rotary Peace Fellow, TEDx speaker, and former Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) student Elizabeth Gamarra has received the college’s inaugural Rising Star Award. The Rising Star Award recognizes SLCC alumni who have made a profound and positive impact in their communities and beyond, and who have graduated from the college within the last seven years.     “The purpose of this award is to uplift recent SLCC graduates and highlight their commitment to community and to their professional and personal growth,” said Kate Rubalcava, CEO of Utah Nonprofits Association and a member of SLCC’s Alumni Leadership Council.      “Elizabeth’s nomination stood out as someone who was not only exceptional in her professional accomplishments, but who at her core, is an inspiring leader, dedicated to catalyzing positive change both locally and globally,” Rubalcava said.   Gamarra, who skipped three grades, and ...

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. Dr. Tashelle Wright Director, Heath Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, University of Utah School of Medicine As a young CNA whose parents did not attend college, Tashelle Wright was told she shouldn’t aspire too high. She enrolled at Salt Lake Community College to become a nurse practitioner, all the while dreaming about conducting advanced research in health science, a dream she felt was beyond her reach as a first-generation student. What she found at SLCC surpassed her expectations and helped her realize this dream. Encouragement from faculty members like Dr. Clifton Sanders and Marian Howe-Tayl...

The  Salt Lake Community College  Foundation raised  $205,000 for student scholarships Sept. 9 at its sixth annual Gail Miller Utah Leadership Cup. More than 204 golfers representing 51 teams participated in the event, making it the most popular Leadership Cup to date. The event took place at the Hidden Valley Country Club in Sandy and was staffed by more than 80 volunteers and 75 students from SLCC, including scholarship recipients and athletes. Golfers enjoyed the company of local celebrities, including the Utah Jazz dancers and the Jazz Bear, Utah Jazz commentators Ron Boone and Craig Bolderjack, long-ball legend Mark Frampton and former golf pro AC Cox, who now teaches marketing management at the College.  Sponsors for this year’s golf tournament included the Larry H. and Gail Miller Family Foundation, Pepsi, the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation, Mountain America C...