ALUMNI CONNECTIONS B Y : E M I LY P E N D L E T O N Assistant Director of Operations and Strategic Affairs
H
i! My name is Emily Pendleton, and I am so excited to be the person now leading the SALT Center’s efforts to foster our growing community of proud alumni. In this new role, my vision is to cultivate and develop relationships with our current and future alumni and better connect them to the amazing opportunities available. To understand my true excitement about this new role, I invite you to learn a bit more about me and how my experiences led me to this point. I remember from early on in my high school career hearing about the SALT Center. It was an answer to my fears and struggles and brought me a new sense of confidence knowing that, with the right resources, I would be able to attend a four-year university like my siblings and actually succeed. I enrolled at the University of Arizona in 1998 and used all the resources the SALT Center had to offer. It completely transformed my life for the better. I graduated in 2002 and am a proud Wildcat for life. If I get a cut, don’t be surprised to see me bleeding red and blue! In 2017, my career shifted, as I had the chance to come home to the SALT Center to work with students just like me, as a Student Support Specialist! It was a full circle moment and something that I truly loved. Now, fast-forward to this past year, and I am now the proud parent of a stepson enrolled in the SALT Center! My perspectives and insight are unique and fuel my passion to support our current students, recent grads, and alumni, going all the way back to our founding in 1980.
4 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
